THE  MORTGAGE 
FORECLOSED 


THE 


MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED 


A  STORY  OF  THE  FARM 


BY 

E.    H.    THAYER 


CHICAGO 
HOMEWOOD  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1892. 
BY  BELFORD-CLARKE  CO. 


ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


COPYRIGHT.  1893. 
BY  W.  B.  CONK.EY  COMPANY. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  ARRIVAL,        ........  9 

CHAPTER  II. 

FARMERS'  WIVES  BUYING  GOODS,    -  .        -        -      20 

CHAPTER  III. 
LEARNING  SOMETHING  VERY  FAST,     ....         27 

CHAPTER  IV. 
THE  WAT  TO  KEEP  BOYS  AND  GIRLS  AT  THE  FARM.       •      37 

CHAPTER  V. 
THE  FARMER— His  WIFE — His  DAUGHTER  AND  His  SON,     45 

CHAPTER  VI. 
LOVERS'  TALK, 53 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  MORTGAGE  ON  THE  FARM  AND  HOW  IT  GOT  THERE.      61 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOW  TO  GET  HID  OF  THE  MoilTGACK  ON  THK  FAHM,       -  74 

CHAPTER  IX. 
THE  MYSTERIOUS  STRANGER, 85 

CHAPTER  X. 
WHY  SHE  REFUSED  TO  MARRY  MAJOR  HOLBROOK,     -         90 

CHAPTER  XI. 
LOVERS  ON  THE  LAKE,      -----  101 

v 


2133195 


VI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XII. 
ON  THE  OCEAN — DANGEROUS  RESEMBLANCE,      -       •       108 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
THE  SHIPWRECK, 116 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
POISONED,  - 122 

CHAPTER  XV. 
THE  WILL,  is  A  FORGERY,  - 129 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
THB  DECEPTION,  138 

CHAPTER  XVIL 
Is  AN  UNKNOWN  LAND, 144 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
THE  WILL  IN  COURT, 153 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  EVIDENCE,  AND  THE  JUDGE'S  ADVICE  TO  THE 

FARMERS, 160 

CHAPTER  XX. 
THE  THRILLING  STORY  TOLD  BY  MRS.  WINTERS,  -  174 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
GROUNDWIG'S  INFAMOUS  DEMAND,  -  -  -  -  183 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
PERJURY  EXPOSED, -  192 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
FREE  WOOL — THE  VERDICT, 205 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
A  GHOST'S  DISPATCH  TO  A  DEAD  WOMAN,  •  •  217 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
MANNING  ENCOUNTERS  GROUNDWIG,  ....  224 


CONTEXTS.       •  Vli 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
GOD'S  GIFT  OF  DREAMS, 230 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
I  FORGOT  !    I  FORGOT  ! 236 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Is  IT  CHARLES  MAXXIXG  OR  HARRY  WINTERS  ?   -        -        242 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
SHALL,  THE  IMPOSTER  SUCCEED  ? 250 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
CLEAR  THE  TRACK  TO  BRADFORD  JUNCTION.        -       -        256 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
THE  RACE  AND  THE  RESCUE, 264 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
A  RETROSPECT  — A  MARRIAGE — THE  WHITE  LIGHT,          273 


THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   ARRIVAL. 

"  Lightning  expresses,  even  if  they  are  on  branch 
roads,  don't  stop  long  at  small  places.  So  you  will 
have  to  hurry  up  a  little,  my  good  woman.  There 
now,  step  lively,  my  little  man.  No  one  to  meet  you? 
Well  you  will  have  no  trouble  in  finding  your  friends, 
if  you  have  any  here,  because  you  can  peep  in  every 
door-way  in  the  village  in  half  an  hour.  All  aboard." 
Thojugh  there  was  no  person  in  sight  to  go  aboard, 
the  cull  was  made  just  the  same,  from  force  of  habit. 
Off  the  train  moved,  and  in  a  moment  it  rounded  the 
curve,  and  was  out  of  sight. 

Something  had  so  disturbed  the  lady  as  to  cause 
her  to  weep.  It  may  have  been  the  .conductor's 
reference  to  friends  that  came  not,  or  it  may  have 
been  the  sudden  realization  of  the  fact  that  she  and 
her  little  boy  were  among  strangers.  The  village 
\vu.s  quiet  and  still,  as  if  the  houses  were  tenantless 
and  the  former  occupants  had  gone  to  church  or  to  a 
merry-making  in  the  beautiful  grove  near  by.  The 
country  store  was  open  and  the  stranger,  holding  her 
boy  tightly  by  the  hand,  walked  in.  The  proprietor, 
finding  she  did  not  wish  to  purchase  any  goods,  invited 


10  THE   MORTGAGE  FOBECLOSED. 

her  to  a  seat.  She  appeared  bewildered,  despondent 
and  somewhat  dazed,  and  was  evidently  wrapped 
up  in  thoughts  she  could  not  drive  from  her,  even 
had  she  so  desired.  The  bright-eyed,  curly-haired, 
fair-cheeked,  little  fellow  by  her  side  sought  to  cheer 
and  comfort  her  by  soothing  words,  tenderly  and 
sweetly  spoken,  and  she  soon  roused  from  her  seem- 
ing lethargy,  and  embracing  her  boy  lovingly  and 
endearingly,  assured  him  that  now,  and  at  last,  she 
was  weeping  for  joy!  They  Avere  the  tears  of  peace, 
contentment  and  self-satisfaction.  The  tears  of  sor- 
row had  given  way  to  the  tears  of  joy.  Flowing 
almost  together  and  at  the  self -same  moment  from 
the  self-same  fountain  —  yet  between  them  was  a 
gulf  as  wide  as  that  which  separates  time  from  eter- 
nity. 

The  lady  assured  the  store-keeper  that  she  was  a 
stranger  in  the  village,  that,  in  fact,  she  was  a  stranger 
in  the  State,  and  had  neither  friend  nor  relative,  as 
far  as  she  knew,  in  all  the  great,  grand  West.  She 
and  her  boy  would  like  to  remain  a  few  days,  if  she 
could  find  a  home  with  some  of  the  good  people  of  the 
village.  The  man  called  in  his  wife,  and  telling  her 
what  the  lady  wished,  the  pleasant  and  cheerful  little 
woman  soon  arranged  that  the  new  comers  should 
occupy  the  spare  room  over  the  store  and  take  their 
meals  at  the  store-keeper's  table. 

Less  than  forty  houses  constituted  the  village,  and 
yet  had  the  strange  lady  searched  the  broad  West 
throughout,  she  would  nowhere  have  found  a  place 
better  suited  to  her  loneliness  and  friendlessness.  She 
had  traveled  more  than  a  thousand  miles,  that  she 


THE    ARRIVAL.  11 

and  her  boy  might  not  be  separated  by  the  strong 
arm  of  the  law.  Her  guiding  star  had  directed  her 
to  this  beautiful  valley,  and,  for  the  first  time  for 
weeks,  she  began  to  realize  there  was  still  much  in 
life  to  live  for. 

The  following  morning  she  looked  about  the  vil- 
lage, and  was  charmed  with  the  beauty  of  the  sur- 
rounding scenery.  She  admired  its  loveliness,  and 
was  delighted  with  the  pretty,  little  crooked  stream 
which  ran  along  the  valley,  as  if  playing  hide-and- 
seek  with  the  adjacent,  grassy  bluffs,  then,  losing 
itself  in  the  friendly  groves,  to  reappear  on  the  dis- 
tant prairie,  where,  like  a  silvery  serpent,  it  wriggled 
and  twisted  itself  along  until  lost  in  the  far-away 
lake. 

Every  day  the  stranger  and  her  boy  could  be  seen 
taking  long  walks  in  the  country.  With  each  pass- 
ing hour  she  seemed  more  and  more  delighted  with 
all  she  saw.  She  would  stop  at  the  farm  houses  to 
rest,  and  she  never  left  without  having  made  a  friend. 
All  the  villagers  came  to  know  her,  but  none  of  them 
knew  her  history  or  cared  to  know  it.  They  only 
knew  that  a  woman  of  her  intelligence  and  refine- 
ment, brought  up  in  an  Eastern  home,  amid  wealth 
and  affluence,  must  have  a  history  of  absorbing  in- 
terest, or  why  should  she  leave  home  and  kindred  to 
dwell  among  strangers?  But  no  one  sought  to  share 
with  her  that  secret.  There  was  no  village  gossip  to 
shun,  no  mutual  friend  into  whose  ears  she  might 
tell  her  story,  if  story  she  had  to  tell,  nor  did  she 
•want  such  a  friend  to  listen  and  perhaps  to  betray — 
but  all  were  friends  now,  all  were  neighbors,  and  all 


12  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

delighted  in  making  her  contented  and  happy — a 
condition  in  life  the  kind-hearted  and  generous- 
natured  farm  people  knew  so  well  the  value  of. 

Mrs.  Winters  might  have  told  a  story  of  thrilling 
interest,  and  yet  her  past  life  was  like  ^the  placid 
waters  of  yonder  stream,  while  the  life  she  had  yet 
to  experience  was  like  the  seething,  boiling  cauldron 
in  the  turbulent  river  when  at  flood  height,  and  after 
a  night  of  tempest. 

But  just  now  she  is  exceedingly  happy.  Her  mind 
was  made  up  that  her  home  should  be  in  this  beauti- 
ful valley.  Here  she  would  live  and  here  she  would 
die.  In  her  walks  she  had  often  stopped  at  a  farm 
house  where  it  seemed  difficult  for  the  hard-working 
owner  to  make  both  ends  meet  at  the  end  of  the  year. 
He  had  quite  a  large  family  to  provide  for,  but  the 
number  of  mouths  to  feed  could  not  have  contributed 
to  his  unfortunate  circumstances  had  there  not  been 
a  controlling  cause  elsewhere.  The  several  members 
of  the  family  were  industrious  workers,  toiling  from 
early  morn  until  late  at  night.  She  had  heard  the 
farmer  express  a  desire  to  sell  his  place.  She  thought 
to  introduce  the  subject  of  buying  and  ascertain  the 
cause  of  his  ill  luck,  and  if  the  circumstances  were 
not  too  discouraging,  she  would  purchase  the  farm. 

"  Farmer  Chase/'  said  Mrs.  Winters,  one  evening 
as  the  sturdy  old  yeoman  came  in  from  his  work,  "  I 
have  often  heard  you  say  you  would  like  to  sell  your 
farm.  I  want  to  buy  some  such  a  place  as  this,  but 
before  I  talk  of  buying  I  want  to  know  why  you  wish 
to  sell." 

"  I  will  tell  you  candidly.     I  have  had  so  much  bad 


THE  ARRIVAL.  13 

luck  in  the  past  eight  or  ten  years  that  I  have  been 
compelled  to  run  in  debt,  mortgage  my  farm,  and  I 
see  no  other  way  than  to  consent  to  its  foreclosure, 
let  the  holder  of  the  mortgage  have  the  farm,  and  I 
will  pick  up  the  little  I  may  be  able  to  save,  take  my 
family  and  start  for  the  far  West,  where  I  can  enter  a 
homestead  and  begin  life  again  way  down  at  the 
bottom." 

"  Farmer  Chase,  you  say  you  have  had  bad  luck. 
In  what  way  has  such  luck  manifested  itself?  You 
have  a  nice  farm,  the  crops  look  well,  the  yield  bids 
fair  to  be  large,  you  and  your  boys  do  all  the  farm 
work,  pray  tell  me  about  your  bad  luck — your  crops 
have  not  failed  have  they  ?  " 

"  Xo.  I  have  been  very  fortunate  in  raising  good 
crops  every  season,  my  land  is  exceedingly  fertile  and 
yields  most  bountifully,  but  the  price  of  farm  prod- 
uce has  been  so  low  right  along,  year  after  year,  that 
really  the  profit  has  not  been  sufficient  for  me  to  buy 
those  necessaries  of  life  which  we  must  have  to  exist 
even  half-way  comfortably." 

"  Then  it  is  not  the  farm  that  is  to  blame  for  your 
ill  luck,  but  something  else  that  happens  after  you 
and  your  family  and  the  farm  have  all  done  their 
duty.  Have  you  any  idea  why  the  price  of  farm  prod- 
uce is  not  sufficient  to  support  your  hard-working 
family?" 

"  Xo,  I  have  not,"  continued  Farmer  Chase;  "some 
six  3rears  ago  I  put  a  mortgage  of  five  hundred  dollars 
on  my  farm.  I  have  paid  the  interest  everyyear,but 
I  have  been  compelled  to  increase  the  amount  of  the 
mortgage  until  at  the  present  time  is  is  nine  hundred 


H  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

and  fifty  dollars.  I  have  been  running  behind  about 
one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  each  year,  and  I  see  no 
way  of  even  starting  again  on  a  farm  unless  I  can  sell 
my  property  for  enough  more  than  the  mortgage  to 
enable  me  to  buy  an  emigrant's  outfit  and  sufficient 
supplies  to  last  my  family  until  we  can  get  settled 
again.  You  know  when  a  farm  is  mortgaged  within 
a  few  hundred  dollars  of  its  selling  value,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  realize  any  more  than  the  amount  of  the 
mortgage.  A  foreclosure  usually  wipes  out  the  farmer's 
entire  possessions,  and  I  know  of  scores  of  cases  where 
farmers  who  have  spent  a  quarter  of  a  century  in  hard 
work  on  the  farm  were  compelled  to  part  with  all 
they  had  and  go  out  into  the  world,  wife,  children 
and  all,  homeless  and  penniless.  This  may  be  my 
fate." 

"  Farmer  Chase,  something  is  wrong,  radically 
wrong  somewhere,  when  in  a  rich  and  fertile  farming 
country  like  this,  where  the  crops  never  fail  and  the 
yield  is  ever  bountiful,  that  men  and  their  families 
must,  after  years  of  incessant  toil,  give  up  the  fruits  of 
their  hard  labor  and  move  outside  of  civilization  and 
begin  life  over  again.  It  is  not  the  soil  you  say  that 
is  to  blame  for  this  thing,  nor  is  it  the  lack  of  proper 
management  of  the  farm,  nor  is  it  because  willing 
hands  do  not  toil  and  dig  the  livelong  day  through, 
and  ofttimes  far  into  the  night.  Farmer  Chase,  I 
know  the  cause  as  well  as  I  know  the  leaves  on  yonder 
oak.  I  know  that  the  farmers  of  this  great  West,  like 
the  operatives  in  the  Xew  England  factories,  are  being 
robbed  of  their  earnings  by  the  unjust  tariff  laws  of 
the  land.  But  I  will  not  discuss  the  cause  of  your 


THE   ARRIVAL.  15 

ill  luck  just  now.  I  like  your  farm.  I  know  it  will 
suit  me.  I  have  a  little  income  from  other  sources 
and  will  not  be  dependent  entirely  on  the  profits  of 
the  farm  for  a  livelihood.  Your  price  is  reasonable, 
and  you  can  make  me  the  deed,  and  if  you  desire  to 
give  possession  at  once  I  will  take  your  crops  at  a  fair 
valuation.'5 

The  bargain  being  closed,  Farmer  Chase  gathered 
around  him  those  members  of  his  family  too  young  to 
go  into  the  world  by  themselves  and  earn  a  living, 
and  at  once  made  preparations  for  seeking  a  new 
home.  They  visited  the  little  church-yard  and  bade 
a  long  farewell  to  the  loved  ones  sleeping  there; 
they  took  a  last  look  at  the  little  church  where  the 
babea  had  been  christened  and  baptized;  one  fond 
gaze  at  the  red  school-house,  a  tearful  adieu  to  the 
old  homestead,  then  embracing  the  grown-up  children 
who  would  stay  and  struggle  on  to  make  a  living,  hop- 
ing to  pull  through,  and  a  cordial  handshake  with  the 
neighbors,  a  trembling  good-bye  to  all,  and  Farmer 
Chase,  at  the  age  of  three-score  years,  started  his  little 
emigrant  train  on  a  journey  of  seven  hundred  miles, 
to  make  himself  a  new  home  in  a  new  land.  Some  of 
the  neighbors  who  went  a  piece  with  the  old  man,  to 
encourage  and  cheer  him,  said  it  was  a  generous 
country  that  would  donate  to  unfortunate  farmers 
land  for  a  homestead. 

V  generous  government  indeed,"  remarked  Mrs. 
Winters,  "to  enact  unjust  and  oppressive  laws  that 
make  it  impossible  for  the  average  farmer  to  earn  a 
living  on  the  farm.  Laws  that  force  him  to  mortgage 
his  home  to  obtain  the  means  to  support  his  family, 


16  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

and  when  sold  out  on  the  mortgage,  and  turned  adrift, 
offer  him  a  quarter  section  of  land  in  the  wilderness 
almost  a  thousand  miles  away! " 

This  remark  was  not  directed  to  any  one,  and  no  one 
replied.  The  old  farmers  looked  at  each  other  in 
amazement.  Here  was  a  woman  talking,  and  it  looked 
as  though  she  knew  what  she  was  talking  about. 
Some  of  her  listeners  were  but  other  Farmer  Chases. 
They  wanted  to  hear  more  on  a  subject  which  came 
so  near  their  own  homes,  and  they  had  not  long  to 
wait. 

"Why  not,"  continued  Mrs.  Winters,  " take  off 
that  part  of  the  tax  on  'the  necessaries  of  life,  which 
goes  as  donations  into  the  pockets  of  the  wealthy  man- 
ufacturer, and,  by  so  doing,  permit  the  farmer  to  spend 
his  old  age  where  he  has  earned  the  moral  right  to 
spend  it,  on  the  homestead  God  made  for  him,  under 
the  roof  where  he  had  raised  his  family,  instead  of  rob- 
bing him  of  his  earnings  by  an  unjust  tariff  on  every- 
thing he  buys?  Why  drain  his  brow  of  the  sweat 
which  comes  from  honest  toil  and  then  send  him 
adrift  to  pick  up  a  stray  piece  of  land  outside  the 
borders  of  civilization  where  he  has  the  choice  of 
working  himself  to  death  or  starving  to  death? 

"  It  may  be  generous  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment to  so  donate  its  farms,  but  it  would  be  far  more 
just  were  it  to  repeal  some  of  the  laws  which  are  driv- 
ing those  farmers  to  accept  of  its  bounty.  It  would 
only  require  a  reduction  of  about  one-half  the  tax  on 
the  necessaries  with  the  tariff  on  raw  material  abol- 
ished, to  enable  nearly  every  farmer  in  the  land,  whose 
home  is  mortgaged,  to  look  ahead  to  the  time  when 


THE   ARRIVAL.  17 

he  would  be  out  of  debt,  with  the  prospect  of  accumu- 
lating a  competence  for  his  family  in  case  of  his 
death,  or  laying  by  something  for  himself  in  his  old 
age." 

A  bad  feature  in  connection  with  Farmer  Chase's 
forced  removal,  was  the  fact  that  he  was  leaving 
behind  two  sons  and  one  daughter,  all  of  whom  were 
married  and  all  struggling  to  keep  their  heads  above 
water,  and  the  old  farmer  could  not  see  why  his  fate 
might  not  be  theirs  in  a  few  seasons  more.  If  things 
did  not  improve,  if  farm  produce  brought  no  better 
prices,  and  if  the  necessaries  of  life  kept  up,  they, 
too,  would  be  compelled  to  submit  to  foreclosure  of 
the  mortgages  on  their  farms  and  make  new  homes 
in  the  new  West.  While  there  were  many  farmers  in 
that  neighborhood  comfortably  fixed  and  well  to  do, 
yet  to  many  others  the  outlook  was  gloomy  in  the 
extreme,  not  only  for  the  time  being  but  for  the 
future.  So  when  any  person  came  among  them, 
even  though  a  woman,  and  gave  sensible  reasons  with 
the  proof,  for  so  much  ill  luck  and  bad  fortune,  all 
were  ready  to  listen,  though  many  were  slow  to  be- 
lieve and  act. 

Mrs.  Winters  bought  that  particular  farm,  not 
only  for  a  home,  but  its  seclusion  suited  her  feelings, 
and  it  afforded  her  a  hiding  place,  as  she  often  times 
termed  it,  from  a  mysterious  somebody,  whose  com- 
ing she  thought  improbable  and  yet  constantly 
dreaded;  and  the  location  was  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  clear  people  for  whose  welfare,  as  a  class,  sha  had 
determined  to  devote  her  life's  work. 

She  was,  however,  unused  to  a  farm.     Since  her 


18  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

school  days  she  had  busied  herself,  as  a  labor  of  love, 
in  looking  after  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  factory 
operatives,  and,  thus  engaged,  she  had  familiarized 
herself  with  many  of  the  labor  problems,  some  of 
which  she  had  solved  and  settled  in  her  own  mind 
and  to  her  own  satisfaction.  She  was  a  firm  believer 
in  the  theory  that  a  high  tariff  for  the  purposes  of 
protection,  not  only  did  not  benefit  labor  but  was  a 
positive  injury  to  it.  She  had  studied  the  subject 
in  all  the  phases  it  presented  itself,  and  the  more 
she  studied  and  investigated  the  practical  applica- 
tion of  it  as  exhibited  in  the  industries  specially 
protected  by  the  tariff,  the  more  firmly  impressed 
was  she  that  labor,  on  the  farm  or  in  the  factory,  in 
the  shop  or  mill  or  mines,  had  nothing  to  gain  by  a 
high  tariff,  but  everything  to  lose. 

The  correctness  of  these  sentiments  and  these  doc- 
trines was  so  firmly  imbedded  in  her  mind,  that,  when 
compelled  on  a  moment's  warning  to  snatch  her  child 
from  sudden  danger  and  flee  from  her  home  and  the 
graves  of  her  kindred,  it  did  not  take  her  long,  after 
reaching  her  new  home,  to  realize  that  the  huge  indus- 
trial interests  of  the  great  agricultural  regions  of  the 
West  were  fettered  and  shackled  by  the -same  gall- 
ing chains  that  the  tariff  was  forging  in  the  East. 
She  made  up  her  mind  that,  though  woman  she  was, 
she  had  a  mission  to  perform  among  the  farmers,  and 
perform  it  she  would,  no  matter  how  great  the  sac- 
rifice. 

The  farm  Mrs.  Winters  purchased  was  on  a  side 
hill,  with  the  buildings  very  near  the  brow.  From 
the  house  to  the  river,  which  meandered  in  plain 


THE  ARRIVAL.  19 

sight,  was  a  gentle  slope.  Had  the  place  been 
selected  for  its  picturesqueness  and  beautiful  natural 
scenery,  it  would  have  been  all  that  a  devoted  ad- 
mirer of  nature  could  have  desired.  The  highway 
ran  about  a  hundred  rods  from  the  house,  and  be- 
tween the  house  and  the  road  was  a  wide  lane,  on  each 
side  of  which  was  a  row  of  thrifty  maple  trees.  The 
river  was  not  a  large  one,  though  it  was  dignified 
with  a  large  name.  But  it  was  a  beautiful  stream, 
and  when  not  disturbed  by  the  spring  and  fall 
freshets,  was  as  placid  and  smooth  as  crystal.  The 
eye  seemed  never  to  weary  in  gazing  upon  the  scarcely 
perceptible  current,  as  it  moved  so  gently  and  so 
noiselessly  along,  while  its  banks,  lined  with  luxuri- 
ant grasses,  reflected  beneath  the  waters,  apparently 
resting  against  the  shadows  of  the  clouds,  made  a 
picture  of  exceeding  loveliness.  A  short  distance  on 
the  prairie  was  quite  a  large  body  of  water,  which  was 
known  as  the  lake.  On  the  sides  of  the  lake  was  a 
slope  or  beach,  formed  by  the' sand  washed  from  the 
water's  bed  by  the  wind  of  summer  and  ice  of  winter. 
Nestled  so  gracefully  in  the  lap  of  the  prairie,  the 
lake  seemed  to  be  only  a  temporary  visitor,  and  one 
might  easily  imagine  that,  when  completely  rested,  it 
would  start  off  for  other  climes  where  it  might  refresh 
other  prairies  and  gladden  other  hearts. 


CHAPTEK  II. 

FARMERS'  WIVES  BUY  GOODS,  AXD  TVHY  THEY 
DIDN'T  BUY  ALL  THEY  XEEDED. 

The  nearest  neighbor  Mrs.  Winters  had,  lived  a 
mile  distant.  He  was  a  well-to-do  farmer,  who  had 
served  his  country  in  the  Civil  War,  and  at  its  close 
married  the  girl  of  his  boyhood's  choice  and  moved 
from  his  Eastern  home  into  the  settlement.  His 
farm  was  a  large  one  for  that  section  of  the  West, 
and  having  brought  considerable  money  with  him,  he 
accumulated  more  each  year,  until  he  was  consid- 
ered one  of  the  most  forehanded  men  in  the  county. 
He  had  been  fortunate  in  his  investments  and  lucky 
in  his  speculations,  and  indeed  everything  he  touched 
seemed  to  turn  to  gold.  He  interested  himself  in 
everything  that  was  going  on  around  him,  and  took 
the  laboring  oar  in  pushing  neighborhood  improve- 
ments. He  contributed  quite  largely  toward  build- 
ing the  only  church  in  the  settlement,  he  subscribed 
generously  toward  the  preacher's  salary,  and  he  vol- 
untarily added  quite  a  sum  to  his  own  taxes,  to  make 
larger  and  more  comfortable  the  contemplated  new 
school-house.  He  exhibited  much  taste  in  the  con- 
struction of  the  buildings  on  his  farm,  and  was  con- 
stantly suggesting  to  the  neighbors  how  easily  and 
cheaply  certain  improvements  could  be  made  in  and 
about  their  homes.  His  wife  was  a  lady  of  culture 
and  refinement,  taking  pride  in  assisting  her  hus- 

20 


FARMERS'  WTYES  BUT  GOODS.  21 

band  in  carrying  out  his  plans,  and  encouraging  the 
neighbors  to  do  numerous  little  things  which  served 
to  make  home  pleasanter  and  more  attractive  to  its 
inmates.  A  little,  curly-headed,  golden-haired  girl, 
with  the  blackest  of  black  eyes,  and  the  reddest  of  red 
cheeks,  and  the  prettiest  little  mouth  one  would 
care  to  see,  who  was  now  fairly  in  the  fourth  sum- 
mer of  her  little  life,  made  up  the  balance  of  Major 
Stephen  Holbrookes  family. 

It  did  not  take  long  for  the  two  families  to  be- 
come quite  intimately  acquainted.  Their  children, 
Henry  and  Mary,  often  played  together,  and  the  two 
women  frequently  met  at  each  other's  houses,  and 
oftentimes  planned  many  a  pleasant  surprise  for 
those  neighbors  whose  circumstances  in  life  were  not 
the  most  prosperous. 

When  Mary  was  ten  years  old,  her  mother  died. 
Left  at  this  early  age  without  a  mother's  tender  care, 
she  naturally  looked  to  Mrs.  Winters  as  the  person 
she  had  the  right  to  love  as  a  mother,  and  Mrs.  Winters 
returned  that  love  in  the  most  generous  manner. 

Mrs.  Winters  never  grew  weary  in  her  efforts  to 
help  lighten  the  burdens  of  her  neighbors.  The  more 
she  went  among  them  and  familiarized  herself  with 
their  manner  of  getting  along,  the  more  she  was  con- 
firmed in  the  opinion  that  the  difficulty  in  the  way  of 
their  prosperity  was  not  the  fault  of  the  farmer  or  his 
family. 

She  saw  that  the  farmer  worked  long  hours,  and 
all  the  members  of  his  family  who  were  large  enough 
to  count  as  help,  performed  their  share  of  the  drudg- 
ery. The  husband  followed  the  plow  from  sun- 


22  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

rise,  through  all  the  long  day,  to  sunset,  and  the  wife 
would  be  up  and  at  work  with  the  break  of  morning, 
and  toil  through  all  the  hours,  almost  without  a  mo- 
ment's rest,  until  bedtime.  The  children  had  they1 
tasks  to  do,  which  kept  them  busy  until  the  hours  of 
school,  and  upon  their  return  in  the  evening  they 
would  take  up  the  unfinished  work  of  the  morning, 
and  never  complete  it,  until  they  were  children  no 
longer.  The  same  drudgery,  over  and  over,  day  after 
day,  the  same  routine  of  work,  the  only  variation  or 
change  was  simply  from  one  hard  task  to  a  harder 
one. 

Mrs.  "Winters  pitied  these  families.  She  felt  that 
the  farmer  and  his  family  earned  rest,  recreation  and 
luxuries,  which  some  one  else  was  enjoying.  She 
knew  that  half  this  labor  on  the  farm  went  to  main- 
tain the  nation's  policy  of  a  high  protected  tariff. 
To  use  the  fruits  of  the  farmer's  toil  for  such  a  pur- 
pose was  extortion,  made  in  the  name  of  law,  and  not 
made  because  the  necessities  of  the  government  re- 
quired it.  She  had  resolved  she  would  do  her  part 
in  opening  the  eyes  of  the  farmers  and  the  members 
of  their  families  to  the  great  outrage  the  tariff  was 
inflicting  upon  them.  So  she  set  to  work  to  convince 
them  that  the  remedy  was  in  their  own  hands,  and 
that  they  were  themselves  to  blame  if  they  did  hot 
apply  it  and  become  free  men  and  free  women. 

One  morning,  late  in  the  fall,  several  neighbors  were 
going  to  town  to  purchase  family  supplies,  more 
particularly  clothing  for  winter  wear,  and  Mrs. 
Winters,  desiring  to  make  a  few  purchases,  joined 
the  party.  They  found  the  stores  largely  stocked 


FARMERS'  WIVES  BUY  GOODS.  23 

with  goods,  so  much  so  that  they  expressed  surprise 
at  the  merchant's  affording  to  buy  so  heavily,  because 
they  knew  trade  was  dull  and  but  few  goods  were 
being  sold. 

One  of  the  ladies,  Mrs.  Wilber,  desired  to  purchase 
three  cloaks,  one  for  herself  and  one  for  each  of  her 
two  daughters.  The  price  of  each  cloak  was  nine 
dollars.  This  price  admitted  of  her  buying  but  two 
garments,  remarking,  as  she  paid  the  money,  that  one 
of  the  daughters  would  have  to  wait  another  year 
for  a  cloak.  She  bought  thirty-six  yards  of  carpet 
for  thirty  dollars,  and  she  paid  sixteen  dollars  for 
woolen  dress  goods.  Twelve  dollars  was  spent  for 
hosiery  and  underwear.  The  entire  bill  came  to 
seventy-six  dollars.  There  were  quite  a  number  of 
articles  of  real  necessity  Mrs.  Wilber  needed  for 
herself  and  family,  and  she  did  not  know  how  they 
could  get  along  without  them.  She  had  bought  a 
third  less  carpeting  than  the  rooms  required,  she 
was  compelled  to  get  along  with  two  cloaks  when 
three  were  just  as  essential  as  two,  and  she  had  pur- 
chased less  than  one-half  the  underwear  she  had  ex- 
pected to.  She  sat  down  on  a  bench,  half  sick  and 
completely  discouraged.  Things  she  had  promised 
the  children,  and  things  that  were  necessary  to  make 
them  fairly  comfortable  during  the  winter,  she  could 
not  buy,  because  of  the  high  prices  she  paid  for  the 
goods  she  did  buy,  and  which  she  must  have,  and 
for  the  purchase  of  which  she  had  been  saving  money 
the  whole  year  long. 

Mrs.  Wilber,  sat  there  sad  and  in  tears.  Mrs. 
Winters  went  to  her,  and  readily  divining  the  cause 


24  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

of  the  tears,  sought  to  comfort  her.  She  tokl  her 
that  another  year  things  might  come  round  all  right, 
so  that  by  practicing  self-denial  a  few  more  months, 
she  could  make  the  purchases  she  and  her  family  so 
much  needed. 

"There  is  not  the  least  bit  of  comfort  or  conso- 
lation," remarked  Mrs.  "Wilber,  "  in  your  words.  It 
is  the  same  thing,  over  and  over,  each  year.  I  am 
forced  to  scrimp  and  manage  and  economize  and 
work  and  save  all  the  year  through,  expecting  to 
make  my  children  more  comfortable  and  supply 
them  with  the  wearing  apparel  they  actually  need 
and  should  have.  I  encourage  them  to  stay  with  me 
on  the  farm,  by  promising  them  that  things  will  be 
better  another  year,  and  that  we  have  passed  through 
the  worst.  Nor  do  I  know  who  is  to  blame.  The 
crops  are  excellent  every  year.  Our  granaries  and 
barns  are  full.  Our  stock  always  do  well  and  are  as 
fat  as  anybody's,  and  sell  as  well  as  any  of  our  neigh- 
bor's. But  the  prices  keep  low,  and  the  things  we 
have  to  sell  bring  such  a  slight  advance  on  the  cost 
of  producing  them,  that  there  is  very  little  left  with 
which  to  buy  necessaries  for  the  family.  The  Lord 
is  certainly  good  to  us.  Yet  I  see  no  silver  lining  to 
the  cloud  that  constantly  hovers  over  my  head.  I 
thought  this  year,  when  the  crops  yielded  so  bounti- 
fully, that  I  could  certainly  buy  those  articles  my 
children  so  much  needed  and  which  they  had  gone 
without  until  to  go  without  longer  means  shame  and 
suffering  for  them  and  for  me.  I  find  I  can  not  do 
it.  I  tell  you,  Mrs.  Winters,  I  am  discouraged.  I 
am  willing  to  work  like  a  slave — to  wear  my  finger 


FARMERS'  WIVES  BUY  GOODS.  25 

ends  to  the  bone — to  welcome  sunken  cheeks  and 
pale  lips  and  fevered  brow — to  make  any  sacrifice 
that  will  secure  for  me  and  mine  these  necessaries 
that  we  so  much  need.  I  see  no  prospect,  even  in  the 
future,  for  better  things.  The  farm  is  mortgaged, 
and  no  matter  what  comforts  the  family  must  be 
deprived  of,  the  interest  must  be  paid,  and  one  of 
these  days  I  can  plainly  see  the  home  must  be  sold 
to  pay  off  the  mortgage." 

"Mrs.  Wilber,  I  feel  for  you,  and  I  pity  you  from 
the  bottom  of  my  heart/'  replied  Mrs.  Winters,  "and 
while  you  look  about  you  in  vain  to  find  where  the 
blame  lies,  let  me  tell  you  that  you  yourself  are 
partly  to  blame  for — " 

"  I  partly  to  blame  for  my  children  being  illy  clad 
and  illy  fed,  Mrs.  Winters!  I  to  blame  for  the  sac- 
rifices we  all  make  that  we  may  live  comfortably!  I 
who  toil  more  hours  than  a  slave  toils  for  his  master!  I 
who  every  day  deny  myself  things  which  are  neces- 
sary to  my  health  and  comfort,  I  who — " 

"  Now,  wait  a  moment,  Mrs.  Wilber,  and  hear  me 
through.  I  am  sorry  I  have  wounded  your  feelings, 
but  it  is  only  in  wounds  sometimes  that  the  remedy 
can  be  applied.  You  have  now  reached  that  point  in 
making  self-denials  that  you  ought  to  be  willing  to 
listen.  Will  you  hear  me?" 

"I  know  you  are  a  sensible  woman,  Mrs.  Winters, 
and  that  you  have  gone  through  lots  of  trouble,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  your  experience  will  be  of  great 
benefit  to  me,  and  I  assure  you  I  will  not  only  listen 
to  what  you  have  to  say,  but  if  you  can  point  out 
where  I  have  been  guilty  of  negligence,  or  where  I 


26  Till  ED. 

have  made  mistakes,  I  will  be  ever  ready  to  admit 
my  faults  and  do  better  as  I  learn  how  to  do  bet- 
ter." 

"Mrs.  Wilber,  you  have  nothing  to  grieve  at  or 
lament  over.  You  have  been  a  noble  and  true  wife 
and  a  most  devoted  mother.  When  I  said  you  were 
partly  to  blame  for  the  trouble  which  seems  to  over- 
whelm you,  I  meant  you  had  not  used  the  influence 
you  possess  to  remote  the  cause  of  your  trouble." 

Mrs.  Wilber  was  perplexed.  She  did  not  take 
kindly  to  the  idea  that  she  was  in  any  manner  to 
blame  for  the  ill  luck  which  befell  her  family.  Nor 
could  she  understand  wherein  she  could  wield  .an 
influence  that  could  help  to  rid  her  of  the  trouble 
she  had  complained  of.  So  she  made  bold  to  ask 
Mrs.  Winters  to  explain  her  meaning. 


CHAPTER  III. 

LEARNING  SOMETHING  VERT  FAST. 

"  You  speak,  Mrs.  Winters,  of  my  influence,"  said 
Mrs.  Wilber,  "I  did  not  suppose  I  had  any  influence 
except  such  as  grows  out  of  the  drudgery  in  ijiy 
kitchen.  Pray  tell  me  in  what  way  a  poor,  weak 
woman  like  me  has  auy  other  influence — with  whom 
and  how  can  I  use  it?" 

"\  will  tell  you,"  replied  Mrs.  Winters,  "and  I 
want  you  to  mark  well  what  I  tell  you.  You  have 
just  purchased  a  bill  of  goods.  You  are  sorely  dis- 
appointed at  the  prices,  and  at  your  inability  to  buy 
more  for  your  money,  and  you  feel  the  worse  because 
you  know  you  can  not  treat  all  the  members  of  your 
family  alike.  You  have  bought  two  cloaks,  and  you 
needed  three  as  much  as  you  did  two.  You  paid 
eighteen  dollars  for  the  two.  Now,  Mrs.  Wilber, 
the  tax  levied  by  the  government  on  those  two  cloaks 
amounts  to  ten  dollars  and  eighty  cents.  The  tax  on 
the  carpet  you  bought  is  fifteen  dollars,  on  the  dress 
goods  six  dollars  and  seventy-two  cents,  and  on  the 
underwear,  five  dollars  and  forty  cents,  making 
a  total  tax  on  your  purchases  of  thirty-seven  dollars 
and  ninety-two  cents.  The  greater  portion  of  this 
tax  you  have  just  paid  is  for  the  purpose  of  protect- 
ing the  manufacturers  of  those  goods  against  the 
manufacturers  of  other  countries.  If  you  were  per- 
mitted to  buy  those  goods  wherever  you  wanted  to, 

27 


28  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

you  would  save  three  dollars  on  each  cloak,  twenty- 
five  cents  on  each  yard  of  carpet  and  thirty  cents  on 
each  dollar's  worth  of  dress  goods  and  underwear  you 
use." 

"I  do  not  understand  you/'  remarked  Mrs.  Wil- 
ber.  "  Is  not  this  a  free  country,  and  have  I  not 
the  right  to  go  where  I  please  and  spend  my  own 
money  ?  " 

"  Yes,  you  have,"  said  Mrs.  Winters.  "You  buy  of 
the  country  merchant.  He  is  not  permitted  to  go  out- 
side the  United  States  and  buy  the  goods  he  sells 
you  without  paying  a  large  tax  on  the  things  he  buys, 
and  this  tax  he  must  charge  to  his  customers." 

"Even  admitting  that,  how  do  you  make  out,"  said 
Mrs.  Wilber,  "that  if  I  could  buy  where  I  wanted 
to,  I  could  save  three  dollars  on  a  cloak  and  twenty- 
five  cents  on  each  yard  of  carpet,  and  yet  pay  that 
tax?" 

"  This  is  the  way  it  is  done, "answered  Mrs.  Win- 
ters. "The  amount  you  would  then  save  does  not 
go  to  the  government,,  but  to  the  wealthy  manufact- 
urers who  make  the  goods  you  have  just  bought. 
They  have  persuaded  the  law-makers  that  they 
could  not  operate  their  factories  if  the  people  of  the 
United  States  were  not  compelled  to  buy  of  them, 
and  in  order  that  they  should  so  buy,  a  tax  is  put  so 
high  on  goods  made  in  foreign  countries,  that  you 
and  everybody  else  in  the  United  States  must  pay  for 
the  American-made  goods  you  buy,  the  selling  price 
of  Europe  with  an  average  tariff  of  some  forty-seven 
per  cent,  added.  In  other  words  the  tax  on  that 
cloak  is  five  dollars  and  forty  cents — two  dollars  and 


LEARNING   SOMETHING   VERY   FAST.  29 

forty  cents,  if  it  is  of  foreign  make,  goes  to  the  gov- 
ernment to  help  pay  the  current  expenses,  and  three 
dollars  goes  to  the  American  manufacturer  Or  in 
other  words  if  the  tax  on  the  cloak  was  only  a  gov- 
ernment tax  for  the  use  of  the  government,  you 
would  save  three  dollars.  That  three  dollars  is  your 
gift  outright  to  protect  a  man  in  a  business  that  he 
insists  will  not  be  profitable  unless  you  give  him  that 
three  dollars,  and  you  are  compelled  to  pay  very 
nearly  a  like  proportion  to  him  or  somebody  else  on 
nearly  everything  you  buy." 

"  Don't  the  manufacturers  of  the  goods  I  have 
bought  make  them  as  cheap  as  any  other  country 


can 


"  KJ!  Not  in  every  instance.  Other  countries,  as 
a  rule,  pay  no  tax  on  raw  material,  which  is  the  most 
expensive  item  in  the  cost  of  the  goods.  To  illus- 
trate: Were  the  tax  taken  off  wool  and  the  tax  on 
woolen  goods  reduced  one-half,  you  could  have 
bought  the  goods  for  which  you  paid  seventy-six  dol- 
lars for  about  fifty  dollars,  and  still  contribute  some 
fifteen  dollars  outright  to  the  manufacturer  for  his 
protection.  Such  contributions  would  enable  him 
to  make  his  business  so  profitable  and  his  sales  so 
extensive  that  he  could  pay  the  highest  wages  to  his 
workmen  and  receive  an  income  from  his  capital  of 
ten  times  the  per  cent,  your  husband  receives  on  his 
investment. 

"This  reduction  of  the  tax  on  those  few  articles 
you  have  purchased  would  give  you  twenty-six  dol- 
lars more  to  spend,  enabling  you  to  buy  the  other 
cloak  your  daughter  so  badly  needs,  and  instead  of 


30  THE   MORTGAGE    FORECLOSED. 

going  home  to  explain  to  the  other  members  of  your 
family  the  reason  you  could  not  bring  them  the 
things  they  so  much  wanted  and  expected,  you  could 
make  their  hearts  rejoice  when  you  untied  the  bun- 
dles and  laid  before  them  the  goods  so  necessary  to 
their  comfort  and  pleasure. 

"  Such  a  reduction  of  the  tax  and  the  admission  of 
wool  free,  would  have  permitted  the  manufacturer 
to  sell  to  one  family  one  other  cloak,  fifteen  yards 
more  of  carpet  and  sixteen  or  eighteen  dollars  worth 
more  of  woolen  goods  and  underwear.  It  is  more 
than  probable  there  are  one  hundred  such  customers 
situated  as  you  are,  to  one  who  can  buy  what  they 
want,  so  instead  of  there  being  an  over  production  of 
such  goods,  and  the  discharging  of  hands  for  want 
of  employment,  there  would  be  a  demand  at  home 
and  abroad  for  all  the  goods  made  and  steady  work 
for  all  who  wished  to  work.  Instead  of  so  many 
woolen  mills  going  into  bankruptcy,  they  would  be 
running  full  time  and  giving  employment  to  thou- 
sands of  operatives  that  are  now  idle,  and  making  a 
better  home  market  for  farm  produce." 

"  All  you  say  looks  reasonable,"  said  Mrs.  "Wilber, 
"and  I  believe  every  word  of  it.  I  would  be  awful 
dull  if  I  couldn't  see  that  such  a  tax  is  unjust  and 
unnecessary,  and  that  it  is  no  better  than  robbery  to 
take  what  belongs  to  my  family  and  what  we 
together  have  earned,  and  give  it  to  some  rich  man- 
ufacturer. Now  that  is  wicked.  The  greater  part 
of  what  the  government  demands  it  don't  need,  and 
if  it  did  it  don't  get  it.  I  can't  see  any»reason  why 
the  manufacturer  couldn't  get  along  just  as  well 


LF.A1IN"  VERY    FAST.  31 

with  the  tax  largely  reduced.  He  could  if  he  had  to. 
I  suppose  he  wouldn't  accumulate  a  big  fortune 
quite  so  rapidly.  But  for  that  reason  ought  my  fam- 
ily to  'go  without  the  necessaries  and  comforts  of 
life?  But  pray  tell  me  how  I  can  help  to  change 
such  a  wicked  law.  I  don't  know  one  of  the  men 
who  make  the  laws,  and  if  I  did  I  wouldn't  dare  to 
go  to  him  and  tell  him  I  thought  the  law  was  the 
outrage  on  the  farmers  you  prove  it  to  be." 

"I  am  coming  to  that  pretty  soon/'  replied  Mrs. 
Winters,  "but  before  I  do,  there  are  some  other 
points  I  desire  to  present  to  you,  and  as  I  have  no 
doubt  the  shopping  experience  to-day  of  the  other 
ladies  is  similar  to  yours,  I  will  wait  until  we  are 
ready  to  ride-home,  and  then  I  will  answer  your  ques- 
tions and  explain  other  matters  connected  with  your 
purchases." 

It  did  not  take  Mrs.  Winters  long  to  ascertain  that 
not  one  of  the  three  ladies  making  up  the  party 
was  satisfied  with  the  purchases  they  had  made.  The 
story  of  each  was  Mrs.  Wilber's  story  over  again. 
When  Mrs.  Winters  told  them  it  was  the  high  tariff 
or  tax  which  prevented  their  buying  the  goods  they 
needed  and  expected  to  buy  with  the  money  they 
had,  they  were  eager  to  listen. 

"I  tell  you,  ladies,  you  wives  of  farmers,"  Mrs. 
Winters  proceeded,  "it  is  this  high  tariff  you  hear 
so  much  about,  and  which  you  take  so  little  interest 
in,  because  you  think  you  can't  understand  it,  that 
is  preventing  you  from  clothing  your  family  com- 
fortably and  supplying  them  with  the  necessaries  of 
life.  I  need  only  refer  to  your  own  experience  of 


32  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

to-day  to  illustrate  the  truth  of  this  statement.  Not 
an  article  have  you  bought  but  the  tax  was  from 
forty  to  seventy  per  cent.,  and  at  least  one  hundred 
dollars  of  the  three  hundred  you  have  spent  goes  as 
a  gift  outright  into  the  pockets  of  the  wealthy  man- 
ufacturers, while  only  a  small  portion  goes  into  the 
treasury  of  the  government." 

"  But  my  dear  Mrs.  Winters, "  interposed  Mrs. 
Tyler,  "  is  not  this  tax  necessary  to  permit  the  man- 
ufacturers to  pay  fair  wages  to  their  employes,  and 
must  not  the  laborer  have  living  wages  to  enable  him 
to  buy  what  the  farmer  has  to  sell?  Had  we  farmers* 
wives  not  better  pay  this  tax  than  not  have  a  home 
market  for  farm  produce?" 

"I  admit/'  responded  Mrs.  Winters,  "that  is  the 
argument  constantly  dinned  into  the  farmers'  ears 
by  the  manufacturers,  but  it  has  no  weight  at  all 
when  put  along  side  of  cold  facts.  A  few  days  since 
Gregory  &  Jones,  the  proprietors  of  an  extensive 
cloak  and  shawl  factory,  went  into  bankruptcy, 
throwing  eight  hundred  men  and  women  out  of  em- 
ployment. Why  was  it?  For  the  very  reason  Mrs. 
Wilber  was  compelled  to  get  along  with  two  cloaks 
for  her  family  when  she  ought  to  have  had  three. 
She  could  not  buy  the  three  because  they  were  taxed 
beyond  her  means  in  order  to  protect  the  manufact- 
urer, who  in  turn  failed  because  he  could  not  sell 
the  goods  be  manufactured.  It  didn't  seem  to  be 
protection  he  needed,  but  customers,  and  he  was  pro- 
tected so  much  and  there  was  so  much  of  a  tax  on 
everything  that  entered  into  the  make  up  of  his 
goods,  that  even  all  the  protection  he  received  only 


LEARXIXG   SOMETHING  VERY  FAST.  33 

resulted  in  his  asking  so  much  for  his  goods  that  the 
masses  of  the  people  could  not  buy  them.  Gregory 
&  Jones  were  protected  into  bankruptcy.  Protection, 
it  will  be  seen,  prevents  other  countries  from  bring- 
ing those  goods  here,  and  it  also  prevents  the  home 
manufacturer  from  making  goods  that  everybody 
could  buy.  If  protection  shuts  up  the  woolen  mills 
whereby  an  hundred  thousand  operatives  are  forced 
into  idleness,  how  does  such  protection  help  the 
farmer  to  sell  his  produce?  Could  these  woolen  fac- 
tories have  the  privilege  of  buying  the  raw  material 
they  use  wherever  it  is  the  cheapest,  they  could 
sell  their  goods  as  cheap  as  any  other  country,  and 
they  could  sell  so  cheap  that  they  would  supply  other 
countries  with  woolen  goods  instead  of  having  other 
countries  supply  this,  as  they  do  every  year  with 
millions  of  dollars'  worth. 

"Gregory  &  Jones  would  no  doubt  have  sold  annu- 
ally half  a  million  dollars'  worth  more  of  cloaks  and 
shawls,  could  the  price  have  been  thirty  per  cent, 
less,  which  they  could  have  done  with  the  tax 
removed  from  wool,  and  thus  not  only  have  prevented 
their  failure,  but  they  would  have  done  a  profitable 
business,  and  the  eight  hundred  employes  would 
have  been  kept  at  work.  The  retail  merchant  would 
not  have  his  shelves  loaded  with  unsold  goods,  and 
best  of  all,  the  people  for  whom  such  goods  are  man- 
ufactured could  have  bought  them. 

"Every  neighborhood  has  scores  of  families  situ- 
ated as  you  ladies  are  as  regards  making  such  pur- 
•s.  Multiply  your  number  by  such  thousands, 
and  the  manufacturer  will  be'Mi  to  realize  that  there 


34  THE  MORTGAGE  FOEECLOSED. 

is  more  profit  in  taking  the  tax  off  his  raw  material 
and  making  his  goods  so  cheap  as  to  bring  them 
within  the  reach  of  the  great  majority  of  people, 
than  in  any  benefit  he  can  derive  from  a  high  pro- 
tective tariff. 

"Now,  ladies,  believe  me.  I  have  investigated 
this  matter  with  the  greatest  possible  desire  to  get 
at  the  facts.  While  I  know  there  are  many  intricate 
questions  connected  with  the  operation  of  the  tariff, 
which  are  difficult  to  understand,  and  concerning 
which  people  may  honestly  differ;  yet  there  is  no 
denying  the  truth,  which  stands  out  boldly  and  runs 
through  the  entire  schedule  of  articles  whose  price 
is  increased  by  the  tariff,  that  the  farmers  are  being 
taxed  to  death  for  the  benefit  of  a  few  individuals, 
without,  in  any  shape  or  manner,  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, receiving  the  least  benefit  to  themselves. 

"  The  farmers  pay  two  or  three  cents  tax  on  every 
pound  of  sugar  they  buy.  There  is  a  tax  on  nearly 
everything  not  raised  on  the  farm  that  goes  into  the 
pantry  or  on  the  dinner  table.  A  tax  on  medicines, 
drugs,  dye  stuffs,  spices,  paints,  glass  and  oil.  Tax 
on  brooms,  brushes,  thread,  parasols,  furs,  school 
books,  paper,  pens  and  newspapers.  Tax  on  cloth- 
ing, bedding,  blankets,  shawls,  cloaks,  wraps,  under- 
wear, cotton  cloth  and  table  linen.  Tax  on  tin 
plate,  which  is  a  special  burden  on  the  farmer, 
because  there  are  so  many  articles  about  the  farm 
that  tin  is  used  for.  The  tin  pans  for  milk  and 
cream,  tin  cups  and  tin  cans  for  canning  the  vast 
soil  products,  such  as  potatoes,  tomatoes,  beans, 
milk,  meats  and  fruits  of  all  kinds.  And  there  is 
not  a  pound  of  tin  mined  in  America.  Every  agri- 


LEARNING    SOMETHING    VERY    FAST.  35 

cultural  implement,  from  the  hoe  to  the  threshing 
machine,  is  taxed.  If  the  object  of  the  present  tar- 
iff system  were  to  oppress  the  farmer,  there  is  no  way 
to  improve  it.  It  is  absolutely  perfect. 

"Farmers7  wives,  let  me  say  to  you  that  it  is  this 
tax  for  protection  of  the  manufacturer  which  is 
undermining  your  health  and  keeping  you  doing  a 
slave's  work.  It  is  this  tax  which  makes  your  daugh- 
ters dissatisfied  with  farm  life  and  is  driving  your 
sons  to  the  cities  and  towns.  It  is  this  tax  which 
has  put  the  mortgage  on  your  farm,  and  unless  the 
change  comes  which  is  contemplated  by  the  friends 
of  tariff  reform,  the  tax  will  compel  the  sale  of  the 
farm  and  turn  its  occupants,  homeless  and  houseless, 
in  their  old  age,  out  into  the  world  to  commence  life 
v.new.  Hardly  a  grievance  the  farmer  can  complain 
of  but  the  cause  may  be  traced  to  the  tariff.  Hardly 
a  wish  ungratified  but  the  tariff  is  to  blame. 

"The  farmer's    family   is  entitled  to  something 

more  than  a  bare  living.     They  can  not  be  -content 

with  simply   keeping  out  of  debt.     If  there  is  no 

mortgage  on  the  farm,  that  is  no  reason  why  they 

should   be  willing  to  contribute  a  portion  of  their 

to  make  the  rich   man  richer.     There  are 

manifold. comforts,  conveniences  and  luxuries  which 

would  enjoy  and  could  have  were  the  principles 

of  tariff  reform  to  prevail.     His  children  could  be 

better    educated.      His    daughters    may  desire    to 

dress  a  little  better  than  they  are  in  the  habit  of 

doing,   and  they  should  be  permitted  to  do  so.    The 

are  enthled  to  frequent  holidays  and  a  liberal 

amount  of  spending  money,    and  they  should  have 

both.    The  farmer  and  his  wife  should  be  relieved  of 


36        THE  MORTGAGE  FOHFCLOSED. 

the  drudgery  now  so  common,  and  more  frequent 
visits  with  relatives  and  friends  should  be  exchanged. 
The  truth  is,  the  tariff  deprives  the  average  farmer 
and  his  family  of  fully  one -half  the  comforts  and 
pleasures  of  life  which  they  ought  to  enjoy." 

"Pray  tell  us,  Mrs.  Winters,"  said  Mrs.  Tyler,  who 
had  grown  quite  interested,  "  what  we  can  do  to  get 
rid  of  this  horrid  tax?" 

"Do?  You  can  do  everything,"  said  Mrs.  Winters. 
"  Mrs.  Wilber  has  asked  me  the  same  question,  and 
it  is  time  farmers'  wives  everywhere  were  interesting 
themselves  in  the  question  and  the  answer.  I  will 
tell  you.  Go  home  and  quietly  and  calmly  talk  this 
matter  over  with  your  husband  and  your  grown-up 
boys.  Keep  before  them  constantly  the  fact  that  the 
tariff  is  a  tax  which  is  robbing  them  of  a  greater  por- 
tion of  the  profits  of  the  farm.  Tell  them  it  is  a 
mill-stone  around  their  necks,  making  their  lives 
miserable,  and  that  it  will  drag  them  from  bad  to 
worse,  unless  they  exert  themselves  to.  throw  it  off. 
Bid  them,  as  they  love  their  families  and  would  see 
them  lifted  out  of  the  perpetual  gloom  which  sur- 
rounds the  home  and  the  farm,  to  vote  for  men  for 
office  who  favor  tariff  reform.  If  their  party  does 
not  pronounce  for  the  reform,  tell  them  they  have 
clung  to  their  party  long  enough.  Tell  them  the 
question  is  no  longer  '  shall  the  party  win, 'but  'shall 
the  farm  prosper.'  Convince  them,  as  you  easily 
can,  that  the  party  which  stands  for  a  high  protective 
tariff  must  go  or  the  farm  must  go! 

"It  rests  with  yon,  wives,  mothers  and  daughters, 
in  a  measure,  to  decide  which  shall  stay  and  which 
shall  go." 


CHAPTEB  TV. 

THE  WAY   TO    KEEP   COYS  AXD  GIRLS   OX  THE   FARM 

Henry  Winters  was  eight  years  old  when  he  began 
going  to  school  at  the  country  school-house,  located 
about  a  mile  from  his  home.  He  was  quick  and 
eager  to  learn,  and  he  had  no  difficulty  in  keeping  at 
the  head  of  his  class.  There  was,  however,  no  one 
pupil  any  more  a  favorite  with  the  teacher  or  with 
schoolmates,  than  another.  A  country  school-house 
filled  with  farmers'  children  is  an  excellent  place  to 
find  absolute  equality.  No  one  scholar  is  better  than 
another.  Not  a  shade  of  aristocracy  is  there.  The 
books  and  slate  and  writing  material  of  each  pupiL 
are  alike.  The  little  tin  pails  and  willow  baskets, 
uhich  contain  the  dinner,  are  similar.  \And  in  a 
much  more  marked  degree  than  in  the  city  the  intel- 
lects are  alike.  Xone  are  dull.  All  are  bright. 
There  may  be  more  awkwardness  in  the  school-room 
in  the  country  than  in  the  town,  but  it  is  the  awk- 
wardness of  nature,  and  it  has  much  to  do  with  defin- 
ing the  line  between  the  children  brought  up  on  the 
farm  and  those  brought  up  in  the  city. 

It  is  not  claimed  that  this  particular  school  was 
made  up  of  children  absolutely  good.  There  were 
bad  boys  there — boys  who  were  mischievous,  boys 
who  were  vicious,  and  boys  who  were  ungovernable. 
There  were  girls  with  fiery  tempers,  ugly  dispositions 
and  evil  natures.  It  may  be  that  it  takes  such  chil- 
"37 


38  THE    MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

dren  to  rob  the  school-room  of  the  dull  and  prosy 
monotony  which  makes  sluggards  and  idlers.  If 
directed  in  the  proper  channel,  and  taken  in  hand 
at  the  right  time,,  and  not  allowed  too  much  freedom 
or  too  wide  a  scope  in  which  to  expand,  the  bad  crop- 
ping out  in  a  school-room  of  bright,  active,  zealous, 
earnest  little  children  may  be  turned  to  excellent 
purposes. 

At  this  school  Henry  Winters  and  Mary  Holbrook 
received  their  early  book  education.  There  was 
nothing  peculiar  about  these  children.  Their  youth- 
ful lives  were  the  lives  of  the  vast  concourse  of 
such  children  who  preceded  them  in  the  school- 
room. It  happened  that  in  their  early  youth  they 
became  fond  of  each  other.  Together  they  walked 
hand  in  hand  to  and  from  their  studies.  They  had 
their  little  quarrels,  but  they  were  brief  ones.  They 
had  their  days  and  weeks  of  separation,  and  they 
were  sad  ones.  And  even  in  early  childhood  when 
chasing  butterflies  and  gathering  wild  flowers,  and 
long  before  either  knew  the  meaning  of  love,  they 
were  lovers — devoted,  constant  and  true.  The  love 
of  little  children!  When  in  all  the  long  life  is  love 
purer,  nobler  or  dearer? 

As  a  rule  on  the  farm,  too  much  work  is  required 
of  children  during  school-days.  Parents  do  not 
make  allowance  for  the  exhaustive  nature  of  the 
tasks  put  upon  their  boys  and  girls  in  the  school- 
room. Keeping  still  is  tiresome,  learning  lessons  is 
tedious,  and  being  as  good  as  the  teacher  requires  is 
wearisome.  In  the  morning  before  starting  for 
school  the  children's  task  should  be  light  and  easy, 


BOYS   AND   GIRLS   ON   THE   FARM.  39 

and  as  little  of  it  as  possible — less  of  it  than  is  cus- 
tomary. Upon  their  return  in  the  afternoon, 
instead  of  being  put  to  doing  chores  about  the  house 
and  kept  busy  until  supper  time,  they  should  have 
their  hours  of  rest  and  recreation,  and  within  certain 
prescribed  rules  allowed  to  go  and  come  at  will. 

Much  of  the  dissatisfaction  with  the  farm  and  farm 
life  commences  in  early  childhood,  and  comes  from 
the  drudgery  imposed  upon  the  children.  This 
drudgery  grows  with  their  growth,  and  dislike  for  the 
farm  increases  with  their  years,  and  hence  it  has 
come  almost  to  be  the  rule  and  not  the  exception, 
that  boys  and  girls  brought  up  on  the  farm,  particu- 
larly the  boys,  insist  on  leaving  home  as  soon  as  they 
become  of  age,  and  going  to  the  city  or  town  to 
live. 

In  the  majority  of  cases  parents  mean  well,  and 
they  would  do  differently  if  their  circumstances 
would  permit.  They  claim,  and  oftentimes  justly, 
that  the  children  must  work  between  school  hours 
and  during  vacation,  in  order  that  the  family  may 
make  the  two  ends  meet.  That  claim  is  most 
always  a  valid  one,  which  fact  being  admitted,  there 
is  something  wrong  somewhere  to  account  for  such  a 
condition.  "In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat 
bread  "  was  spoken  of  man,  not  of  woman  or  chil- 
dren. If  the  cause  of  this  toil  and  drudgery  by  the 
young  members  of  the  household  is  traced  to  dire 
necessity,  then  there  is  something  out  of  gear  some- 
where, which  requires  the  attention  of  somebody.  If 
farm  life  is  so  irksome,  so  exacting  and  so  obnoxious 
as  to  drive  the  rising  generation  into  the  cities,  then 


40  THE  MOKIGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

it  behooves  good  men  everywhere  to  find  the  remedy 
and  if  possible  apply  it.  The  evil  is  surely  becoming 
a  serious  one,  and  every  year  is  growing,  and  already 
stands  in  the  way  of  that  honest  and  economical 
management  of  the  affairs  of  both  state  and  nation, 
which  the  people  have  the  right  to  expect,  if  the 
rulers  are  to  be  men  of  strong  hands,  healthy  brains, 
stout  hearts  and  noble  manhood. 

A  majority  of  the  men  who  make  the  laws  and 
execute  them  should  come  from  the  farm,  the  work- 
shop and  the  ranks  of  the  day  laborer.  Physical 
development  is  as  essential  as  mental,  in  honest 
rulers.  It  takes  muscle  as  well  as  brain  to  make  the 
laws  the  best  adapted  to  the  welfare  of  a  muscular 
and  brainy  race. 

The  farm  is  the  nation's  hope  and  strength  and 
its  grandest  bulwark.  If  the  .farm  decays,  liberty  and 
law  must  become  part  and  parcel  of  the  ruins. 
Instead  of  oppressing  the  farmer  the  law  should 
bolster  him  up.  Does  it?  Does  it  not  rather  bind 
and  fetter  him  and  hold  him  in  the  coils,  oppress 
and  strangle  him,  singling  him  out  as  a  class  to  be 
plucked  and  squeezed  for  another's  benefit  and 
another's  gain,  until  his  fertile  acres  stand  only  for 
the  debt  he  owes!  Is  not  the  tax  his  country  puts 
on  everything  he  buys  worse  than  shackles  on  his 
limbs,  requiring  him  to  not  only  toil  himself  all  the 
hours  of  the  long  day  and  to  the  verge  of  exhaustion, 
but  must  compel  him  to  require  his  wife  to  keep 
even  step  with  him,  and  his  children  with  hardened 
•hands  and  moist  brows  to  follow  closely  after? 

It  must  not    be  understood   that    the  toil  and 


BOYS   AND    GIRLS    ON    THE   FARM.  41 

drudgery  and  persistent  effort  to  escape  the  pangs  of 
poverty,  are  universal  on  the  farm.  By  no  means. 
But  there  are  enough  of  all  these  to  cause  alarm  and 
insist  on  a  remedy.  The  rising  generation  must  see 
a  prospect  of  the  tax  for  protection  abolished,  or  it  is 
only  a  question  of  time  when  the  farms  will  become 
great  landed  estates,  owned  by  the  few  and  rented 
to  the  present  owners. 

In  order  that  the  boy  should  be  persuaded  to 
remain  on  the  farm,  his  work  must  be  easier  than 
his  parents  have  experienced,  lie  must  become 
satisfied  that  the  tendency  of  public  sentiment 
favors  the  removal  of  so  much  of  the  tax  as  goes  into 
the  pockets  of  the  owners  of  the  protected  indus- 
tries, or  otherwise  farm  life  will  be  distasteful  to 
him  and  lead  the  next  generation  to  take  up  its 
abode  in  the  cities  as,  to  a  great  extent,  the  present 
one  is  doing.  The  farmer's  son  can  not  help  seeing 
that  so  much  of  the  tax  as  is  levied  for  protection 
about  equals  the  amount  the  farm  runs  behind  each 
year,  and  he  is  not  to  blame  for  engaging  in  some 
other  business,  if  this  system  of  plucking  is  to  con- 
tinue. If  the  boys  are  expected  to  stay  on  the  farm, 
their  fathers  must  unite  and  secure  the  repeal  of 
the  obnoxious  and  unjust  features  of  the  tariff 
laws.  If  the  nation  would  have  a  stalwart  race 
of  sturdy  men  to  till  the  soil — men  who  own  the 
land  they  cultivate  and  the  homes  in  which  they 
live — then  must  Congress  remove  a  large  share  of  the 
tax  on  the  necessaries  of  life  and  on  the  implements 
of  the  farm.  If  the  laws  can  not  help  the  farmer  in 
his  efforts  to  feed  the  world,  they  should  not  put 


42  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

obstacles  in  the  way  of  his  making  a  decent  livi 
for  himself.  The  law  must  deal  fairly  and  justly 
with  him  and  not  rob  him  to  enrich  his  neighbor. 
With  the  competition  the  farmer  must  encounter, 
he  is  more  in  need  of  protection  than  the  industries 
which  are  protected.  He  does  not,  however,  plead 
for  protection,  he  simply  asks  that  he  shall  not  be 
required  to  take  the  little  profits  which  arise  from 
the  sale  of  farm  products  and  hand  them  to  the 
wealthy  manufacturer.  When  law  ceases  to  prott.ct 
the  manufacturer,  it  will  cease  to  rob  the  farmer. 
When  law  ceases  to  rob  the  farmer,  he  will  not  orjy 
thrive  and  prosper,  but  he  will  do  so  without  making 
slaves  of  his  family,  and  when  his  family  cease  to  De 
slaves,  his  sons  and  daughters  as  a  rule  will  stay  on 
the  farm.  Not  all  of  them,  and  always,  because 
there  are  railroads  to  build  and  operate,  there  are 
universities  needing  practical  presidents  and  profess- 
ors, there  are  ships  to  build  and  great  mercantile 
interests  to  be  looked  after,  and  as  the  farm  has 
furnished  such  men  heretofore,  it  will  keep  on  doiug 
so  hereafter,  unless  long-continued,  unjust  taxation 
shall  result  in  laying  waste  the  farm,  and  blot  it  oat 
from  the  list  of  American  industries. 

At  the  age  of  fifteen,  Mary  Holbrook  was  sent  to 
a  young  ladies'  seminary  in  an  Eastern  town.  She 
had  been  a  diligent  student  in  the  country  school, 
and  found  it  an  easy  task  to  keep  pace  with  her 
class  in  the  seminary.  From  the  grand  old  school 
of  nature  she  had  graduated  with  high  honors,  and 
the  lessons  learned  in  the  groves  and  fields  served 
her  well  with  her  new-found  companions.  She 


BOYS  AND   GIRLS  ON   THE   FARM.  43 

quickly  became  a  favorite  with .  all.  An  interesting 
and  fascinating  conversationalist,  always  having  at 
her  command  a  fund  of  practical  information,  which 
she  knew  how  to  use  to  the  best  advantage,  she  drew 
around  her  a  circle  of  admiring  friends. 

Mary  Holbrook  was  now  what  the  world  would 
term  a  beautiful  woman.  Her  manners  were  pleas- 
ing and,  in  fact,  charming.  She  dressed  with 
becoming  taste,  and  though  the  only  child  of  a 
wealthy  father,  she  made  no  display  of  riches,  but 
prided  herself  on  being  a  farmer's  daughter,  fond  of 
the  farmer's  life. 

Henry  Winters,  having  finished  the  usual  branches 
taught  in  the  public  school,  and  having  spent  one 
year  attending  the  high  -school  at  the  county  seat, 
entered  the  State  Agricultural  College  for  a  three 
years'  course.  His  experience  there  was  not  differ- 
ent from  that  of  most  students  in  his  class.  He  was 
quick  and  keen  and  apt  to  learn,  and  he  was  ambi- 
tious to  stand  well  to  the  front  in  all  his  recitations. 
He  was  devoted  to  politics,  and  took  great  interest  in 
works  and  studies  on  political  economy.  As  the 
tariff  question  was  one  of  absorbing  importance,  he 
became  a  close  observer  of  its  effects  on  capital  and 
labor,  and  particularly  its  bearing  on  the  industries 
connected  with  the  farm.  He  had  imbibed  many 
valuable  ideas  upon  the  subject  from  his  mother, 
whose  discussions  he  had  often  listened  to  with  inter- 
est and  profit;  so  that  now,  when  he  found  himself 
face  to  face  with  learned  professors,  who  had  made 
the  great  question  a  life  study,  he  had  an  excellent 
opportunity  to  compare  his  mother's  practical  know!- 


44  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

edge  of  the  subject  with  the  more  learned  views  a? 
the  college  tutors.  He  was  gratified  to  know  that 
he  would  not  have  to  unlearn  what  he  had  been 
taught,  because  he  found  his  teachings  were  in  har- 
mony with  the  sentiments  of  the  best  scholars  and 
ablest  writers  in  the  land. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE   FARMER — HIS  "\VIFE — HIS   DAUGHTER — HIS  SON". 

Mrs.  Winters  constantly  busied  herself  going  about 
doing  good.  Where  there  were  sufferers  from  any 
cause,  in  the  neighborhood,  she  was  found  alleviat- 
ing their  troubles,,  pouring  the  oil  of  consolation  into 
their  wounds  and  ministering  to  their  wants.  The 
poor  were  never  turned  away  empty  from  her  door. 
The  sick  found  in  her  an  intelligent,  willing  and 
faithful  nurse  and  friend.  She  comforted  the  dying 
with  words  of  solace  and  hope,  and  from  her  lips 
they  were  consoled  with  the  precious  truths  of  the 
religion  of  Christ.  Neither  expecting  nor  desiring 
reward  for  her  labors,  she  did  what  she  could  to  make 
the  world  around  her  better  for  her  living  in  it. 

The  neighbors  came  to  her  for  counsel  and  advice. 
She  consented  to  be  the  custodian  of  their  savings, 
which  they  laid  by  to  use  on  their  shopping  expedi- 
tions to  to\vn.  Al  most  the  whole  neighborhood  loved 
and  respected  her.  Very  many  of  the  improvements 
in  and  about  the  farm  houses  were  made  at  her  sug- 
gestion, and  numerous  little  things  were  done,  now 
,and  then,  here  and  there,  at  her  own  expense.  Many 
things  which  seemed  essential  to  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  the  women  and  children  of  the  house- 
hold were  not  done,  because  of  the  lack  of  means  to 
do  with.  While  there  were  many  pleasing  excep- 
tions to  the  general  rule,  yet  by  far  the  greater  num- 

45 


46  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

ber  had  to  scrimp  and  manage  and  economize  in  ever} 
way  possible  to  keep  reasonably  comfortable  and  not 
make  an  exhibition  of  their  real  needs.  There  was 
not  a  day  in  the  year  but  it  would  come  to  Mrs.  Win- 
ters' notice  that  it  was  the  tariff  operating  in  oneway 
or  another  that  was  making  the  burdens  of  these 
good  people  so  hard  to  bear.  The  earnings  which 
should  have  been  applied  to,  improvements  on  the 
farm,  to  repairing  the  dwelling-house,  outbuildings 
and  fences,  and  to  procuring  winter  clothing  for 
wife  and  children,  and  laying  in  a  supply  of  table 
necessaries,  went  into  the  pockets  of  the  wealthy 
manufacturer.  But  the  people  were  being  educated. 
The  subject  was  discussed  at  the  sessions  of  their 
alliances  and  granges.  They  read  all  that  came  in 
their  way.  Anything  having  a  bearing  on  the  effect 
of  the  tariff  on  the  farm  was  of  the  greatest  interest 
to  them.  The  question  was  discussed  around  the 
fireside  and  at  the  family  meal.  Mothers  talked  the 
matter  over  with  their  daughters  and  fathers  hurried 
up  the  day's  task  to  go  over  the  topic  with  their  sons. 

One  afternoon  there  came  to  the  village  a  family 
of  English  people,  attracted  there  by  the  pleasing 
scenery,  the  bracing,  health-giving  air  and  the  beauti- 
ful lake.  Listening  one  day  to  a  group  of  men  and 
women  in  earnest  discussion  of  the  tariff,  the  English- 
man ventured  to  answer  a  question  which  he  was 
familiar  with. 

"This  business  suit  I  have  on/'  he  remarked, 
"  cost  me  in  Liverpool  thirteen  dollars.  Am  I  not 
right,"  turning  to  a  merchant  who  was  present,  "when 
I  say  that  you  could  not  afford  to  sell  such  a  suit 
for  less  than  twenty  dollars?" 


THE    FARMER.  4? 

"You  are  right,"  said  the  merchant.  "Such  a 
suit  would  readily  sell  here  for  twenty  dollars." 

The  Englishman  then  directing  his  remarks  to  a 
farmer  who  had  been  asking  questions  with  the  view 
of  being  informed  of  the  effect  the  tariff  had  on 
the  price  of  clothing,  said:  "You  see  your  ques- 
tions are  answered.  If  you  buy  a  suit  like  this  in 
your  country  you  will  pay  forty  per  cent,  more  for 
it  than  you  would  if  you  bought  it  in  my  country. 
There  is  no  high  protective  tariff  in  England.  There 
is  in  America.  If  it  is  not  your  tariff  which  makes 
this  difference,  pray  what  is  it?" 

"When  we  were  in  Xew  York"  continued  the 
Englishman,  "my  wife  bought  several  articles  of 
wearing  apparel  and  she  can  tell  you  ladies  how  the 
prices  compare  with  those  in  London." 

"  I  bought  a  bill  of  underwear,"  said  the  English 
lady,  "for  which  I  paid  eleven  dollars,  and  I  had  the 
same  kind  of  goods  in  my  trunk  that  I  bought  in 
England  that  I  paid  only  six  dollars  for.  I  priced 
many  other  things,  and  I  found  that  dress  goods  cost 
fully  forty  per  cent,  more  in  Xew  York  than  in 
London,  and  blankets,  carpets  and  woolen  goods 
generally  were  double  the  London  price.  I  don't 
know  anything  about  why  it  is  so,  but  I  know  the 
fact  to  be  so." 

"Everybody  who  has  anything  to  do  with  farm 
life,"  broke  in  Mrs.  Winters,  "as  well  as  the  working 
people  generally,  are  beginning  to  learn  the  reason 
of  this  difference  in  prices.  We  are  all  rapidly 
learning  the  fact  that  it  is  the  unjust  and  unfair 
tariff  that  is  responsible,  a  tariff  which  benefits 


48        THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

only  those  persons  who  are  manufacturing  those 
goods  in  this  country.  That  tax  we  have  to  pay  does 
not  help  labor  to  employment  nor  to  pay.  It  is 
simply  protection  to  capital,  and  it  not  only  does  not 
benefit  labor,  but  persistently  robs  the  farmer  of  a 
large  share  of  the  net  earnings  of  the  farm." 

"For  one  I  am  not  only  tired  and  sick  of  this  tax/' 
said  the  farmer's  daughter,  "but  I  am  completely 
discouraged  and  disgusted  at  the  way  it  uses  us  girls; 
and  I  don't  see  even  a  faint  glimmer  of  light  or  hope 
of  better  things  for  the  people  on  the  farm,  except 
through  the  success  of  tariff  reform  which  is  now  so 
much  discussed.  I  used  to  be  tired  and  g'.ek  of  the 
tariff  question,  and  I  thought  it  was  i»one  of  my 
business — that  it  was  something  young  ladies  ought 
not  to  meddle  with,  and  that  it  was  a  difficult  ques- 
tion to  understand.  I  have  gotten  bravely  over  that 
notion.  There  is  no  subject  that  has  so  much  music 
in  it,  to  my  ears,  as  tariff  reform.  I  find  I  am 
directly  interested  in  the  success  of  the  reform.  It 
stands  between  me  and  a  score  of  comforts  ard 
pleasures,  which  by  right  I  am  entitled  to,  but  whir  h 
it  deprives  me  of.  I  know  that  to  be  true;  and  I 
tell  you  now  I  am  for  the  reform.  I  want  better 
clothes  and  more  of  them,  and  I  know  I  can't  have 
them  and  the  high  tariff,  too.  The  tariff  has  had 
its  turn  long  enough.  It  has  made  me  wear  a  calico 
dress  two  seasons,  in  order  that  I  might  contribute 
the  price  of  one  dress  to  protection.  I  have  lived  on 
the  most  common  fare,  because  the  money,  that  ought 
to  have  been  spent  for  more  palatable  food,  must  be 
paid  to  some  person  who  was  ^ngaged  in  i. 


THE    FARMER.  49 

that  wasn't  profitable,  and  the  tariff  compelled  me 
to  donate  to  him  the  greater  part  of  my  savings,  so 
as  to  make  it  profitable.  What  nonsense!  That  is, 
it  would  be  nonsense,  if  it  wasn't  so  cruel.  But  I 
have  had  enough  of  it.  Last  fall  I  sang  high  protective 
songs.  I  shall  sing  no  more  of  that  kind.  I  am 
getting  my  eyes  open,  and  I  believe  the  farmers  are 
doing  the  same  thing,  and  that  they  are  going  to 
bring  about  tariff  reform,  and,  though  only  a  farmer's 
daughter,  I  propose  to  help  them  do  it.  Boys,  do 
you  understand  what  that  means?  I  am  not  the 
only  '-„•!  in  this  neighborhood  that  talks  this  way, 
either.  Wo  are  all  determined  to  do  what  we  can  to 
prevent  our  share  of  the  earnings  of  the  farm  being 
handed  over  to  some  manufacturer,  who  thinks  he 
can't  do  business  without  everybody,  who  buys  the 
kind  of  goods  he  makes,  donating  him  something. 
I  notice  that  nobody  gives  the  farmer  anything.  If 
his  business  don't  pay,  he  must  not  only  grin  and 
bear  it,  but  more  than  likely  he  will  have  to  put  a 
mortgage  on  the  farm  to  obtain  money  to  make  his 
contribution  to  the  thing  called  Protection.  The 
farmer  that  will  hurrah  for  his  party  if  that  party  is 
not  outspoken  for  tariff  reform,  has  not  yet  been 
ground  down  into  the  dust  deep  enough,  and  his  wife 
and  children  have  not  yet  worked  the  ends  of  their 
fingers  clean  off.  But  before  he  takes  the  step  which 
shall  help  to  lengthen  the  life  of  the  present  tariff 
another  span,  let  him  talk  the  matter  over  with  his 
wife  and  daughters  and  sons,  and  see  what  they 
think  about  it.  Thank  heaven,  my  father  has  come 
to  his  senses,  and  so  have  my  brothers." 

4 


50  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

"Just  my  notion  of  it,  too.  I  used  to  think  the 
dryest  subject  a  person  could  discuss  was  tariff  and 
tariff  reform/' observed* the  farmer's  wife.  ""When 
Mrs.  "Winters  first  commenced  talking  about  it,  I 
thought  it  was  a  queer  thing  for  a  woman  to  do.  But 
when  she  explained  so  clearly  how  the  tariff  was 
keeping  our  noses  on  the  grindstone  by  making,  us 
pay  from  one-third  to  one-half  njore  for  everything 
we  bought,  and  that  our  hard  earnings,  instead  of 
being  used  to  make  the  family  comfortable  were 
forced  from  us  and  given  to  people  who  were  already 
rich,  and  they  gave  us  nothing  in  return,  I  began  to 
get  mad.  For  a  while  I  was  reconciled  to  it  because 
they  said  the  tariff  was  for  the  protection  of  labor, 
and  tha+  it  gave  the  farmer  a  home  market  for  what 
he  had  to  sell,  and  that  he  couldn't  sell  his  surplus 
unless  labor  was  protected.  I  have  examined  these 
reasons  for  a  high  tariff  and  I  am  convinced  they  do 
not  amount  to  a  hill  of  beans.  It  is  protection  for 
capital  and  not  for  labor.  Only  those  who  can  get 
along  without  it  are  benefited,  while  the  farmers  and 
laboring  men,  the  operatives  in  the  mills  and  the 
mines  are  taxed  to  death  to  make  those  rich  people 
richer.  The  fact  is  I  don't  know  of  a  more  fascinat- 
ing subject  for  even  v/omen  to  discuss  than  this  tariff 
reform.  The  only  earthly  hope  the  farmer  as  a  class 
now  has  to  get  out  of  debt,  clear  the  farm  of  its 
mortgage,  clothe  the  family  comfortably  and  make 
home  cheerful  and  its  inmates  contented,  is  to  bring 
about  tariff  reform.  I  can  not  vote,  but  my  sons  can, 
and  they  have  a  good  deal  of  confidence  in  their 
mother's  judgment  in  such  matters.  I  am  glad  to 


THE   FARMER.  51 

see  the  men  aroused  and  outspoken  in  favor  of  this 
reform,  and  I  feel  that  a  concert  of  action  which  will 
unite  the  farm  influence  will  insure  its  success." 

"  That  is  the  right  kind  of  talk,  wife,"  said  Farmer 
Johnson,  proudly,  "and  I  guess  the  whole  neighbor- 
hood snci  the  farmers  generally  are  of  the  same  opin- 
ion, and  1  know  they  are  waking  up  to  the  necessity 
f  f  making  tariff  reform  the  leading  issues  in  the  elec- 
tions. For  a  long  time  I  didn't  care  whether  the 
tariff  was  high  or  low,  I  didn't  see  how  it  effected  me 
one  way  or  tho  other.  I  have  gotten  my  eyes  open, 
and  if  I  don't  do  my  part  toward  lowering  the  taxes, 
then  I  will  have  no  right  to  grumble  at  hard  times  or 
lament  being  in  debt,  and  I  will  have  no  right  to 
enter  :  protest  against  my  earnings  being  taken  out 
of  rny  pockets  and  donated  by  the  government  to  the 
rich  nabob  on  the  hill.  If  I  am  willing  they  should 
my  money,  I  ought  not  to  complain  if  they  take 
it." 

Then  came  the  son's  turn  to  say  something,  and, 
if  possible,  he  was  more  pronounced  in  opposition  to 
high  tariff  than  either  the  others  who  had  spoken. 
This  thing  had  been  in  his  way  all  his  life  long,  and 
he  was  tired  of  it.  As  a  lad  and  as  a  grown-up  boy 
he  had  worked  on  the  farm  diligently  and  faithfully. 
He  didn't  know  what  laziness  or  idleness  was.  He 
had  lately  been  looking  into  this  tariff  question,  and 
he  was  satisfied  that  unless  there  was  a  radical  change 
.0  unfair  manner  of  levying  taxes  on  the  farmer, 
there  were  no  better  times  in  store  for  him,  and  he 
would  go  to  town  and  try  some  other  avocation.  He 
had  studied  both  sidesof  the  question.  He  had  listened 


52  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

to  several  practical  discussions  of  the  subject  by  able 
men  on  both  sides.  He  must  confess  he  had  been 
charmed  with  the  theory  of  the  protectionists,  whose 
pictures  of  high  wages,  home  markets  and  home  com- 
forts, had,  for  a  time,  made  him  a  friend  of  the  high 
tariff.  But  the  more  he  reflected  and  the  more  he 
listened  to  the  plain,  practical  talk  of  Major  Hoi- 
brook,  Mrs.  Winters  and  others,  the  better  he  became 
satisfied  he  was  influenced  by  love  of  the  party  his 
father  had  been  so  many  years  identified  with,  rather 
than  by  his  own  convictions.  He  had  been  talking 
the  matter  over  with  his  father,  and  they  were  both 
convinced  that  the  only  hope  for  the  farmer,  as  a 
class,  was  th'e  success  of  tariff  reform.  He  believed 
in  it,  and  he  was  as  ready  to  shout  for  party  as  ever 
before,  but  the  party  he  shouted  for  must  have  em- 
blazoned on  its  banner,  "Tariff  Keform." 

That  evening  Mrs.  Winters  went  home,  pleased  be- 
yond measure  at  the  evidences  of  the  growing  senti- 
ment in  the  neighborhood  upon  the  question  of  tariff 
reduction.  She  believed  she  had  been  an  humble 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence  in  interesting 
the  wives,  sons  and  daughters  of  the  farmers  in  a 
subject  that  at  first  glance  had  nothing  to  charm  or 
fascinate  women  or  young  people. 

The  veil  had  been  lifted.  Beneath  it  was  a  flood 
of  loveliness.  The  seed  had  been  planted  in  rich 
ground.  It  bade  fair  to  yield  a  grand  harvest  of 
mortgages  satisfied,  debts  paid,  profitable  crops  mar- 
keted, labor  liberally  rewarded,  cheerful  homes, 
happy  wives  and  contented  children.  Not  the  millen- 
nium, but  equal  and  exact  justice  to  all  men. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

LOVERS'  TALK. 

Henry  and  Mary  spent  their  first  summer  vacation  at 
their  homes  near  the  country  village.  They  were  both 
or  that  age  when  love  of  romance  overshadows  all 
else  in  life.  The  practical  and  the  real  will  come 
soon  enough,  but  they  do  not  obtrude  themselves  on 
young  hearts  when  all  the  surroundings  are  bright 
and  joyous.  These  young  people  lived  in  dreams 
aud  in  castles  in  the  air,  and  they  hoped  that  if  the 
realities  of  life  were  to  run  counter  to  their  dreams, 
and  their  airy  castles,  they  might  never  awake.  Not 
a  ripple  broke  the  harmony  of  their  young  lives  and 
not  a  zephyr  ruffled  the  smoothness  of  their  young 
loves. 

Much  of  the  time  was  given  to  sailing  on  the  little 
lake.  They  called  it  sailing,  but  their  homely  craft 
had  neither  sail  nor  mast  on  which  to  fix  a  sail,  or 
to  put  a  rudder.  It  was  a  frail  thing,  which  at 
odd  times  Henry  had  managed  to  put  together, 
something  after  the  nature  of  a  raft,  with  a  rough 
box-like  structure  built  much  as  children  build  play 
houses.  This  served  for  protection  from  sun  and 
wind  and  rain,  and  as  it  was  the  only  craft  that 
floated  on  those  waters,  it  had  the  right  to  go  any- 
whpre  and  everywhere,  and  no  one  cared  to  object  or 
protest  against  it.  In  order  to  direct  the  course  of 
the  craft  and  control  it,  a  skulling  oar  was  fitted  in 

63 


54  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

the  end  of  what  might  be  termed  the  prow,  and  thus 
easily  and  readily  was  Henry  able  to  manage  the 
little  float. 

So,  drifting  and  floating  in  whichever  direction  the 
winds  blew,  they  had  naught  to  do  except  to  tell  the 
story  of  their  love,  and  over  and  over  again  they  told 
it,  and  it  neither  grew  monotonous  nor  did  they 
grow  weary  in  telling  it.  Leisurely  and  unconcern- 
edly they  drifted  on,  floating  gently  and  quietly, with 
now  and  then  a  slight  breath  of  wind  from  the  bluffs 
to  break  the  smoothness  of  the  placid  waters,  and 
they  wished  they  could  float  all  the  years  away,  and 
at  will  land  on  a  shore  where  love  reigned  supreme 
and  always. 

"  Harry,  if  you  love  me,  tell  me  so." 

"Did  you  say  'if,'  Mary?  In  the  vocabulary  of 
love  there  is  and  can  be  no  'if.'  The  little  word  has 
never  yet  come  betwixt  your  love  and  mine.  It 
must  not  now.  *'If '  chases  love  away.  'Ifs  '  flour- 
ish where  there  is  the  least  love.  They  drive  the 
schoolboy  to  despair,  and  make  him  hate  his  books, 
his  teacher  and  himself,  and  yet  '  ifs '  are  the  rounds 
in  the  ladder  of  fame  which  enable  the  student  to 
climb  to  the  top.  In  that  blissful  realm  where  love 
is  the  queen,  there  can  be  no  'ifs/  because  love 
would  die  were  an  *  if '  admitted  there.  There  never 
yet  was  heart  large  enough  for  love  and  an  '  if '  to 
dwell  together.  I  know  there  is  not  an  '  if '  in  *my 
part  of  my  being  when  love  for  you  is  my  theme/' 

"  There  now,  Harry,  I  like  to  hear  you  talk  that 
way.  That  is  music  to  my  ears.  It  is  real  poetry—- 
the poetry  born  of  love.  But  why  don't  you  keep  on 
telling  me  you  love  me  ?  " 


LOVERS'  TALK.  55 

"  Why,  Mary,  only  yesterday  I  told  you  a  hun- 
dred times  I  love  you." 

11  True,  true,  I  remember  now  you  did,  and  to-day 
I  want  you  to  tell  me  so  a  thousand  times.  I  live 
only  in  your  love,  and  that  withdrawn  for  a  day,  or 
lessened  by  so  much  as  the  breath  of  air  which  stirs 
so  lightly  yonder  purple  leaf,  and  I  care  not  to  live. 
Tell  me  you  love  me.  Tell  me  not  in  words.  They 
deceive.  Tell  me  with  your  eyes.  Tell  me  with 
your  cheeks  glowing  with  the  flame  that  comes  from 
swift-flowing  blood  through  veins  that  ought  to 
know  no  other  duty  save  to  bear  the  messages  of  love 
from  your  heart  to  mine,  tell  me  through  silent  lips 
of  the  height,  the  depth  and  the  duration  of  your 
love,  put  the  story  into  big  volumes,  and  be  ages  tell- 
ing it,  that  I  may  know  I  am  truly  loved." 

' '  Mary,  since  early  childhood  I  have  told  you  the 
story  of  my  love,  and  it  has  been  the  story  of  my  life. 
As  life  grows  apace,  my  story  grows,  too,  and  whether 
I  tell  it  with  eyes  or  lips,  with  heart  or  soul,  it  shall 
be  the  love  you  ask  of  me.  If  it  shall  take  me  ages 
to  tell  it,  then  let  me  live  those  ages  in  your  love,  and 
the  story  tells  itself.  To  live  and  to  love  are  one. 
May  heaven  never  unloose  the  cord  that  binds  our 
hearts  together/' 

Thus  these  lovers  talked.  The  great  big  world  and 
all  therein  was  nothing  to  them.  Love  was  every- 
thing. 

Did  heaven  hear  that  prayer? 

The  summer  vacation  ended,  Henry  resumed  his 
studies  at  the  college.  His  class  would  graduate  in 
the  spring.  The  fall  months  pass  rapidly,  and  win- 


56         THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

ter  finds  him  busily  engaged  in  preparing  the  paper 
he  is  to  read  at  commencement.  The  professors  ex- 
pect much  of  him.  He  has  been  a  diligent  and  tire- 
less student,  and  his  heart  is  in  his  work.  His  theme 
is  one  of  great  interest  throughout  the  land,  and  par- 
ticularly to  the  farmers.  Brought  up  on  a  farm  him- 
self, and  at  home  and  in  the  college  a  close  student 
of  the  effect  the  tariff  has  upon  agriculture,  he  ap- 
proaches his  subject  of  "  Tariff  Reform  not  Free 
Trade"  with  his  whole  soul  full  of  well-matured 
thoughts. 

Henry  was  favored  with  an  intelligent  audience, 
mostly  farmers.  He  commenced  by  telling  his  hear- 
ers that  "tariff  for  protection  was  a  crime  which  dif- 
fered from  highway  robbery  only  in  the  fact  that  the 
tariff  was  legal  robbery,  while  robbery  by  the  high- 
wayman was  illegal."  This  introductory  sentence, 
so  complete,  so  unqualified  and  so  far-reaching  in  its 
application,  spoken  so  earnestly  and  eloquently,  at 
once  drew  to  the  speaker  the  undivided  attention  of 
the  entire  audience.  When  he  added  that  "the 
farmer,  as  a  class,  was  robbed  deliberately,  systemat- 
ically and  ceaselessly,  to  make  another  man's  business 
profitable,  and  that  this  was  done  without  a  murmur 
or  complaint  on  the  part  of  the  farmer,  and  was  really 
done  by  his  permission  and  consent,  and  was  sub- 
mitted to  because  a  former  generation  had  favored  it 
for  the  laudable  purpose  of  raising  money  to  carry 
on  the  War  of  the  Rebellion,"  those  horny-handed, 
bronzed-face  farmers  looked  at  each  other  as  though 
they  were  realizing  the  force  and  meaning  of  a  great 
truth  which  they  had  often  heard,  but  never  before 
had  it  been  so  vividly  impressed  upon  them. 


LOVERS'  TALK.  57 

."  The  farmer,"  the  speaker  continued,  "  was  con- 
stantly being  deceived  by  the  cry  that  a  reduction  of 
the  tariff  meant  free  trade  and  free  trade  meant  a 
direct  tax  on  all  the  property  the  farmer  possessed, 
so  that  there  would  be  added  to  his  local  and  State 
taxes  a  Federal  tax  far  greater  than  all  his  other 
taxes.  This  cry  was  simply  a  scare.  No  one  pro- 
posed free  trade. 

After  taxing  luxuries  all  they  would  admit  of,  if 
desirable  to  also  tax  necessaries,  the  farmer  would 
not  object.  The  government  obtains  its  revenue  for 
current  expenses  from  a  tax  on  tobacco,  alcohol  and 
a  duty  or  tax  on  the  articles  brought  here  from  for- 
eign countries.  The  tax  on  those  foreign  articles  is 
intended  to  be  so  adjusted  as  to  realize  whatever 
amount  the  government  requires  in  addition  to  the 
amount  derived  from  the  tax  on  tobacco  and  alcohol. 
As  this  amount  is  several  hundred  millions  of  dollars, 
the  manufacturer  may  enjoy  a  certain  degree  of  pro- 
tection, but  it  should  come  to  him  not  as  the  object 
of  the  tariff,  but  as  the  consequence  of  a  tariff  for 
revenue.  This  large  amount  required  by  the  govern-; 
ment  must  always  be  an  unsurmountable  obstacle  to 
the  establishment  of  free  trade.  In  the  adjustment 
of  the  tariff  for  revenue,  however,  the  burthens 
should  be  borne  equally  on  all  interests  and  all  indus- 
tries and  not  as  now,  piled  almost  wholly  upon 
the  shoulders  of  the  farmers  and  the  day  laborers. 
In  fighting  shy  of  the  myth  of  free  trade,  be  careful 
you  do  not  bankrupt  yourselves  on  the  rocks  of  Pro- 
tection. 

After  f^q  expenses  of    the  government  are  pro- 


58  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

vided  for,  any  additional  sum  derived  from  the  tariff 
creates  a  surplus  which  ought  to  be  left  in  the  pock- 
ets of  the  people  rather  than  put  in  the  vaults  of  the 
treasury.  But  the  tariff  by  no  means  stops  with 
surplus.  Then  comes  Protection,  which  is  simply 
forcing  one  man  to  donate  something  to  another 
man  who  claims  he  could  not  carry  on  his  business 
without  such  contributions.  The  speaker  had 
noticed,  however,  that  the  recipients  of  those  dona- 
tions grew  richer  each  year,  while  the  men  anl 
women  who  did  the  work  were  forced  to  be  content 
with  wages  which,  after  deducting  living  expenst3s, 
left  little  or  nothing  for  a  rainy  day. 

"Tariff  reform  is  the  panacea  for  this  gigantic 
wrong.  Tariff  reform  comes  straight  home  to  the 
pockets  of  every  farmer  in  the  land,  reducing  his 
family  expenses,  increasing  the  purchasing  power  of 
his  surplus  produce,  so  that,  instead  of  farming  at  a 
loss  and  running  behind  each  year,  he  will  be  enabled 
to  get  out  of  debt,  supply  his  family  with  the  neces- 
saries and  comforts  of  life,  and  lay  by  a  competence 
for  his  old  age. 

"  It  is  not  free  trade  that  will  do  this.  It  is  fair, 
just  and  equitable  trade  that  will  do  it.  This  fair 
trade  will  come  when  the  farmers  are  ready  to  demand 
it.  No  greater  truth  was  ever  dinned  into  the 
farmers'  ears  than  the  declaration  that  the  farmers 
themselves  are  to  blame  for  the  unprofitable  condi- 
tion of  fanning.  Nor  can  you  farmers  of  the  great 
West,  farmers  of  the  East  and  farmers  of  the  South 
retrieve  your  losses  and  restore  your  lands  to  the 
old-time  value  and  profitableness,  without  a  concert 


LOVERS'  TALK.  59 

of  action  and  union  of  voU-.s.  The  lands  don't  need 
fevtilizcrs,  they  are  rich  enough.  It  is  the  farmers 
that  need  nerve  and  pluck  and  courage  to  break 
away  from  an  organization,  political  or  otherwise, 
that  refuses  to  declare  its  detestation  of  a  tariff  for 
protection. 

"  Don't  be  deceived  by  the  hue  and  cry  of  free 
trade.  It  is  not  free  trade  to  so  reduce  the  tax  on 
woolen  goods  and  raw  wool  that  a  farmer  can  buy  a 
coat  for  fifteen  dollars,  for  which  he  now  pays  twen- 
ty-five dollars,  and  still  allow  twenty-five  per  cent, 
for  the  manufacturer's  protection.  Free  trade  would 
give  him  that  coat  for  ten  dollars! 

"Farmers,  if  yon  pay  six  hundred  dollars  a  year 
for  food  and  clothing  for  your  family,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  dollars  of  that  sum  is  tax — unadulterated. 
cold,  brutal  tax,  of  which  amount  it  may  be  that 
twenty  dollars  goes  to  the  government,  the  balance  is 
Protection — pure  and  simple.  If  you  vote  with  a 
party  that  proposes  to  reduce  that  tax  one-half  and 
that  party  gets  into  power  and  makes  that  reduction, 
you  are  benefited  to  the  extent,  at  least,  of  one-half 
of  that  tax,  and  free  trade  is  still  so  far  distant  that 
unless  you  want  to  be  scared  you  will  not  even  experi- 
ence the  sensation  of  a  quickened  pulse. 

"  TarilJ  reform  proposes  to  blot  out  so  much  of 
this  tax  as  i :  set  apart  for  protection.  When  blotted 
out,  new  life  and  vigor  will  be  given  to  every  industry 
in  the  land,  furnishing  employment  to  the  idle  million 
and  insuring  a  market,  home  and  abroad,  for  all  the 
products  of  American  industries  and  all  the  surplus 
products  of  American  farms." 


60  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

There  was  more  of  this  essay  than  a  mere  roll  of 
manuscript  tied  with  blue  ribbon.  There  was  food 
in  it  for  sober  reflection.  There  were  truths  in  it 
which  came  home  to  every  farmer  who  heard  them, 
and  they  bore  good  fruit  and  an  abundant  harvest. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    MORTGAGE    ON"     THE     FARM     AXD     HOW  IT   GOT 
THERE. 

One  afternoon  in  July,  Farmer  Xagle  was  taking 
his  noon  rest,  feeding  his  pigs,  when  Major  Holbrook 
came  along,  and  after  passing  the  time  of  day,  they 
sat  down  in  the  shade  of  the  barn,  and  resumed  a 
conversation  at  a  point  where  they  had  been  inter- 
rupted a  few  days  before. 

"  You  say,  Neighbor  Xagle,  that  the  mortgage  on 
your  farm  is  eight  hundred  dollars,  drawing  eight  per 
cent,  interest  ?  " 

"Yes  sir." 

"  How  long  has  the  mortgage  been  running  ?" 

"  I  will  tell  you.  Ten  years  ago  I  found  I  was 
behind  at  the  store,  and  I  knew  Mr.  Sample  could 
not  carry  me  any  longer,  so  I  put  a  mortgage  of  three 
hundred  dollars  on  the  farm  and  paid  all  my  debts. 
My  crops  were  good  each  year,  but  what  I  had  to  sell 
brought  way-down  prices,  so  three  years  afterward  I 
found  I  was  not  paying  expenses,  and  I  increased  the 
amount  of  the  mortgage  to  five  hundred  dollars.  The 
next  year  I  had  to  buy  a  reaping  machine,  a  corn  cul- 
tivator and  a  wagon,  for  which  I  went  in  debt.  The 
price  of  farm  produce  kept  low.  The  price  of  neces- 
saries which  I  could  not  get  along  without,  kept  up. 
I  could  not  bring  things  together  and  make  them 
covne  out  even,  and  I  was  compelled,  two  years  after- 

61 


62  THE    MORTGAGE    FORECLOSED. 

wards,  to  increase  the  mortgage  to  eight  hundred  dol- 
lars." 

"  You'havc  kept  the  interest  paid,  I  suppose." 
"  I  did  up  to  the  last  year,  though  at  times  it  has 
been  a  mighty  tight  pull  to  do  it.  I  had  to  save  in 
every  way  possible,  and  so  did  my  wife  and  children, 
and  so  we  all  do  now,  but  I  am  ashamed  to  confess  it, 
the  past  year's  interest  has  not  been  paid — and 
between  you  and  me,  Major,  I  don't  know  where  I 
am  to  get  the  money  to  pay  with." 

"  Are  you  being  pushed  for  the  interest? '' 
"  Yes,  you  know  those  Eastern  money  loaners  are 
very  particular  about  the  interest.     They  must  have 
the  interest  to  loan  to  some  other  needy  farmer." 

"But,  Neighbor  Nagle,  how  are  you  going  to  get 
out  of  your  trouble?  If  you  can't  pay  the  interest 
you  certainly  can't  pay  any  portion  of  the  principle. 
It  looks  to  me  yon  are  very  much  like  a  man  in  the 
mire — if  you  stand  still  you  sink  deeper  and  if  you 
try  to  extricate  yourself  down  you  go." 

"  That  is  just  the  way  I  feel  about  it.  Had  I  been 
making  mistakes  or  bad  debts,  or  if  I  was  lazy  and  in- 
dolent and  wouldn't  work,  or  was  a  spendthrift,  or  if  I 
had  an  extravagant  family,  or  if  things  about  the  farm 
went  wrong  and  I  was  to  blame,  then  I  might  turn 
over  a  new  leaf,  correct  my  mistakes  and  make  a 
struggle  to  get  out  of  debt.  But  I  don't  know  how 
I  can  change  my  management  of  the  farm  for  the 
better.  My  land  is  well  tilled.  I  raise  big  crops. 
I  have  considerable  surplus  every  year  to  sell.  I  buy 
only  such  things  as  the  family  must  have  and  can  not 
get  along  without — and  really  I  do  not  see  wherein  I 


THE   MORTGAGE   AND    HOW    IT  GOT  THERE.         63 

can  do  different!}'  from  what  I  have  done  and  am 
doing.  What  encouragement,  then,  have  I  to  push 
ahead  and  wear  my  life  out  and  have  my  family  do 
so  too,  when  our  reward  will  simply  be  a  greater 
debt,  and  the  certainty  of  the  mortgage  being  fore- 
-ed  and  my  home  taken  from  me?  " 

"  Your  case,  Fanner  Xagle,  is  a  common  one,  but 
none  the  less  painful  for  that.  I  know  of  a  large 
number  of  farmers  in  this  neighborhood  with  just 
such  mortgages  hanging  over  their  heads.  No  doubt 
they  feel  as  you  do — discouraged,  discontented  and 
artened.  But  let  me  tell  you,  neighbor,  that 
while  the  outlook  is  dark  and  gloomy,  the  outcome 
may  not  be  as  bad  as  you  picture,  if  you  and  the 
farmers  generally  have  the  courage  to  apply  the 
remedy  they  have  at  hand." 

"Courage!     Why,  Major,  I  have  the  courage  to 

faoe  a  tiger  in  the  jungle  or  a  band  of  robbers  on  the 

prairie,  or  any  other  danger,  if  I  thought  a  victory 

would  help  me  get  out  of  debt  and  keep  my  farm. 

do  you  mean  by  courage?" 

"I  mean,  my  friend,  that  you  must  dare  to  do  just 
what  you  have  expressed  a  willingness  to  do.  Rob- 
bers have  been  stealing  your  substance  for  years. 
They  have  come  upon  your  premises  when  you  were 
awake  and  when  you  were  asleep.  They  have  robbed 
you  in  a  hundred  different  ways  and  they  have  robbed 
member  of  your  family.  They  have  taken  from 
you  your  hard  earnings  and  turned  round  and  loaned 
you  the  very  earning*  thoy  forced  from  you;  and  that 
sliQfnld  be  no  risk  of  their  not  getting  their  pay 
th  'v  have  required  you  to  give  them  a  mortgage  on 


64  THE  MORTGAGE  FOKECLOSED. 

your  farm.  You  have  not  only  never  raised  a  hand 
to  resist  the  robbery,  but  you  have  permitted  it  and 
consented  to  it,  and  now  beckon  the  robbers  to  come 
on  and  finish  their  work  by  taking  your  farm." 

"You  mean,  I  suppose,  it  is  the  tariff  which  has 
brought  upon  me  this  debt  and  this  mortgage.  Pray 
tell  me  how  you  connect  my  misfortunes  with  the 
operation  of  the  tariff?" 

"  That  is  just  what  I  want  to  do,  I  want  to  convince 
you  of  that  fact,  and  I  think  I  can  make  it  so  plain 
you  will  admit  it.  I  have  a  few  questions  to  ask  you, 
and  I  know  you  will  cheerfully  answer  them.  How 
much  of  a  family  have  you?" 

"  My  wife  and  five  children — three  boys  and  two 
girls." 

"  How  much  money  do  you  pay  for  things  that 
you  do  not  raise  on  the  farm?  " 

"  I  can  answer  that  question  quite  correctly, 
because  I  kept  a  book  account  of  my  expenses.  I 
find  I  spent  last  year  six  hundred  and  thirty  dollars." 

"  Will  you  allow  me  to  look  at  the  items?" 

"  Oh,  yes." 

"  While  you  are  helping  the  boys  hitch  up  and 
starting  them  into  the  corn  field,  I  will  look  over 
these  items  and  figure  the  amount  of  tax  you  pay  on 
the  gross  sum." 

The  Major  looked  over  the  list  carefully.  The 
expense  account  was  a""fair  average  of  like  families. 
Upon  Mr.  Nagle's  return  the  figures  were  shown  him 
and  he  saw  the  tax  he  had  paid  in  the  way  of  tariff 
was  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven  dollars — an  average 
of  twenty-five  per  cent. 


MORTGAGE   Atft)   HOW  IT  GOT  THERE.         65 

"This  tax,"  replied  Mr.  Nagle,  "  is  levied  in  a 
way  that  will  make  my  share  of  the  expenses  of  run- 
ning the  government  fall  as  lightly  on  me  as  possible, 
is  it  not?" 

"  That  can  not  be,  because  only  a  small  part  of  it 
goes  to  the  government,  at  the  outside  not  more  than 
ten  per  cent." 

"And  what  do  you  say  is  done  with  the  balance?  " 

"  It  goes  into  the  pockets  of  the  rich  manufacturers. 
It  is  not  your  contribution  to  the  government,  it  is 
your  contribution  to  protection.  You  pay  it  because 
it  is  the  law,  and  not  one  cent  of  benefit  comes  to  you 
in  any  way,  shape  or  manner." 

"Does  not  the  same  tariff  protect  my  surplus 
crops?" 

"Pray,  Neighbor  Nagle,  tell  me  what  crop  you 
raise  that  England,  or  Germany,  or  France,  or  any 
foreign  country  sends  here  and  sells  and  competes 
with  you.  Protection,  you  know,  is  to  prevent  for- 
eign competition.  Do  those  countries,  or  either  of 
them,  send  wheat  or  flour  or  pork  here  and  fix  the 
market  price  of  such  produce?" 

"No,  by  no  means." 

"  Then  can  a  tariff  of  twenty  cents  per  bushel  on 
wheat,  twenty  per  cent,  on  flour,  ten  cents  per  bushel 
on  cdrn,  oats  and  barley,  and  one  cent  per  pound  on 
pork  and  beef,  be  any  protection  to  the  farmer?" 

"For  the  life  of  me,  now  that  you  call  my  atten- 
tion to  it,  I  do  not  see  how  it  can.  Nor  can  I  see 
any  earthly  object  in  putting  such  a  tariff  on  farm 
produce.  Do  you  know  why  it  has  been  done?" 

"  I  think  it  has  been  done  on  purpose  to  reconcile 


C6  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

us  farmers  to  being  robbed  every  day  of  our  lives  by 
the  tariff  that  is  fixed  on  everything  we  buy.  It  is 
done  to  deceive  and  cheat  us.  We  are  led  to  believe 
by  solemn  law  that  our  farm  produce  is  protected, 
and  that  it  is  necessary  for  us  to  have  such  protec- 
tion in  order  to  sell  our  produce  at  a  profit,  when,  if 
we  were  protected,  one  dollar  on  a  bushel  of  corn,  we 
could  not  sell  it  for  one  cent  a  bushel  more,  for  the 
simple  reason  AVC  have  no  foreign  competition  in  our 
home  market,  and  the  price  of  our  produce  is  fixed 
in  a  foreign  market. " 

"  But,  Major,  is  not  this  protective  tariff  on  the 
products  of  the  manufacturers  necessary  to  enable 
the  manufacturer  to  pay  living  .wages  to  his  opera- 
tives? And  are  not  we  farmers  thus  enabled  to  sell 
our  surplus  produce  to  those  operatives?  In  a  word, 
does  not  a  protective  tariff  make  a  home  market  for 
farm  produce  ?" 

"No.  It  really  circumscribes  and  reduces  the 
scope  of  that  market,  because  that  very  tariff  makes 
it  impossible  to  employ  as  much  labor  as  might  be 
done  were  the  restrictions  the  tariff  puts  on  trade 
removed  wholly  or  even  in  part.  Then  the  price  we 
receive  for  our  produce  at  home  is  fixed  in  Liver- 
pool or  London,  and  we  must  compete  with  all  for- 
eign countries  that  grow  farm  produce,  no  matter  by 
ho^  cheap  labor,  and  no  matter  where  they  sell  it. 
This  would  not  be  so  bad  if  we  could  go  into  those 
countries  that  compete  with  us  and  buy  our  clothing 
and  other  family  supplies  without  paying  a  protect- 
ive tariff  on  them.  This  we  can't  do." 


THE   MORTGAGE   AND   HOW   IT   GOT  THERE.        61 

"Xow  right  here,  Major.  I  wish  you  would  tell 
me  how  fixing  the  price  of  our  produce  in  London, 
and  prohibiting  or  restricting  our  buying  goods  iu 
that  city,  really  does  affect  the  farmer." 

"I  think  I  can  make  that  clear  to  you,  and  I  am 
glad  you  have  suggested  it.  How  much  wheat  do 
you  expect  to  market  this  season?" 

"  About  five  hundred  bushels." 

"  You  haul  your  wheat  to  Bradford  Junction,  I 
presume?" 

"I  do." 

"  What  price  will  you  get,  and  what  do  you  pro- 
pose to  do  with  the  proceeds?" 

"  Sixty  cents  per  bushel,  and  I  have  determined 
to  use  this  year's  crop  to  purchase  articles  of  cloth- 
ing which  my  family  has  been  in  need  of,  more  or 
less,  for  two  or  three  years." 

"JSTow,  Mr.  Nagle,  instead  of  selling  your  wheat 
at  Bradford  Junction,  imagine  that  you  take  it  to 
London.  Perhaps  the  price  there  is  81.20  per  bushel. 
If  so,  you  will  find  that  the  charges,  transportation, 
elevator,  middlemen,  etc.,  are  sixty  cents  per  bushel. 
So  you  realize  the  same  sum  for  your  wheat  in  London 
that  you  would  at  Bradford.  You  propose,  instead 
of  taking  the  8300  home  with  you,  to  make  your 
purchases  in  London.  You  buy  the  following  bill 
of  goods: 


68  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

80  yards  carpet  at  40  cents  per  yard $  32  00 

3  woolen  shawls  at  $6  each 18  00 

600  pounds  granulated  sugar  at  3%c. 17  50 

Drugs  and  spices 9  50 

Hardware,  cutlery  and  glassware 6  00 

6  pair  woolen  blankets  at  $1.50  per  pair 9  00 

4  overcoats,  cassimere 30  00 

4  suits  of  clothes  at  $8  per  suit 82  00 

Woolen  underwear  for  male  and  female 25  00 

Table  linen  and  toweling 15  00 

60  yards  dress  goods,  worsted 35  00 

Gloves,  handkerchiefs  and  hosiery 20  00 

Cotton  cloth  for  bedding  and  clothing 8  00 

Books  and  writing  material 5  00 

Hats,  caps,  trimmings,  ties  and  buttons 18  00 

Freight  to  Bradford  Junction 20  00 

Total $300  0« 

Upon  reaching  home  you  take  the  bill  of  items  to 

a  Bradford  merchant,  and  ask  him  what  he  can  dt*i 

plicate  it  for.     His  figures  will  not  vary  much  from 

the  following: 

80  yards  carpet  at  80c $  64  00 

3  woolen  shawls 30  00 

500  pounds  granulated  sugar  at  6c 30  00 

Drugs  and  spices 13  50 

Hardware,  cutlery  and  glassware 10  00 

6  pairs  woolen  blankets  at  $2.50 15  00 

4  overcoats 49  50 

4suitsof  clothes 52  80 

Woolen  underwear 41  25 

Table  linen  and  toweling 21  75 

60  yards  dress  goods,  worsted 49  00 

Gloves,  handkerchiefs  and  hosiery 29  00 

Cotton  cloth  for  bedding  or  clothing 11  12 

Hats,  Caps  and  trimmings 23  40 

Books  and  stationery 6  25 

Total 144967 


THE   MORTGAGE   AND   HOW   IT  GOT  THERE.       69 

There  you  have  it  in  a  nutshell.  Your  $300  derived 
fVom  the  sale  of  500  bushels  of  wheat  will  buy  in 
London  what  you  have  to  pay  $446.57  for  at  Bradford 
Junction.  A  difference  of  $146.57  in  favor  of  the 
prices  you  paid  in  London,  but  not  in  your  favor,  for 
when  the  railroad  delivers  your  goods  it  will  present 
you  a  bill  for  back  charges  amounting  to  $146.57, 
which  charges  are  the  custom  house  tax  you  must 
pay  and  which  brings  the  cost  of  your  goods  the 
same  as  though  you  had  purchased  them  at 
Bradford  Junction.  Which  fact  also  disproves 
the  theory  that  the  tax  on  foreign  goods  is  paid 
by  the  manufacturer.  Now,  no  matter  how  much 
or  how  little  of  this  8146.57  goes  into  the  Federal 
Treasury,  the  entire  amount  is  levied  for  the 
purpose  of  protecting,  directly  or  indirectly,  those 
American  industries  engaged  in  manufacturing  the 
kind  of  goods  you  bought.  It  is,  in  fact,  your  con- 
tribution to  protection.  You  sell  your  wheat  where 
everybody  who  cultivates  the  soil  is  your  competitor, 
and  you  buy  your  necessaries  where  there  is  no  com- 
petition. You  sell  your  wheat  in  the  cheapest  market 
in  the  world  and  you  buy  your  family  supplies  in  the 
dearest. 

If  protection  was  not  the  American  system,  your 
wheat  would  be  worth,  at  Bradford  Junction,  89£ 
cents  per  bushel,  instead  of  60  cts. — that  is,  that  would 
be  its  purchasing  power,  and  you  know  of  no  other 
vi»,lue  your  wheat,  or  corn,  or  pork,  or  cattle  possesses, 
except  what  they  would  buy  for  the  use  and  comfort  of 
your  family.  Admit  the  tariff  has  nothing  to  do  with 
fixing  the  market  price  of  your  produce,  it  certainly 


70  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

has  enough  to  do  with  fixing  the  price  of  things  you 
buy  with  the  proceeds  of  the  farm,  to  put  an  eight- 
hundred-dollar  mortgage  on  your  home  and  keep 
you  and  your  family  busy  denying  themselves  the 
necessaries  of  life  in  order  that  the  manufacturer, 
who  lives  in  that  magnificent  palace  on  the  hill,  may 
build  a  similar  structure  at  some  fashionable  watering 
place." 

"I  admit,  Major,  you  have  made  some  mighty 
strong  points  against  the  present  tariff,  and  I  must 
confess,  I  see  in  a  clear  light  a  branch  of  this  subject 
which  I  have  always  found  difficulty  in  understand- 
ing. Looking  at  the  tariff  disconnected  from  every- 
thing else,  it  looks  as  though  it  was  designed  to  rob 
us  farmers  of  our  earnings  and  finally  of  our  homes. 
But  the  entire  subject  of  producing  and  consuming 
must  be  treated  as  a  whole,  and,  so  treating  it,  I 
ask  again:  Does  not  the  tariff  enable  manufacturers 
to  compete  with  the  cheap  labor  of  foreign  countries, 
and  pay  such  wages  to  operatives  as  will  enable  them 
to  buy  our  produce?" 

"  No.  It  really  works  just  the  other  way,  as  I  can 
easily  satisfy  you.  The  tariff  so  limits,  retards  and 
restricts  the  business  of  manufacturers  that  the  oper- 
atives are  not  only  paid  less  wages,  but  quite  a  pro- 
portion of  them  work  only  a  part  of  the  time,  and  a 
vast  army  of  willing  hands  are  idle  because  there  is  no 
work  for  them  to  do.  What  the  farmer  wants  is  to 
have  the  greatest  possible  number  of  laborers  con- 
stantly employed  and  well  paid.  It  is  the  growing 
reduction  of  wages  that  prevents  labor  from  being 
liberal  patrons  of  the  farm.  The  number  of  idle  men 


THE   MORTGAGE  AND   HOW   IT  GOT  THERE.        71 

appear  to  be  on  the  increase,  and  certainly  wages  are 
no  higher  now  than  ten  years  ago.  High  tariff  is  the 
link  in  the  chain  of  industry  connecting  low  wages 
for  labor  with  low  prices  for  farm  produce.  So  far 
as  it  does  that  it  weakens  the  whole  chain,  has  no 
business  there,  and  ought  to  be  removed.  We  all 
know  the  interests  of  the  farmer  and  labor  are  ident- 
ical. They  must  stand  shoulder  to  shoulder,  and 
move  hand  in  hand.  If  an  average  of  three  oper- 
atives could  be  added  to  each  work-shop  in  the  land, 
employment  would  be  given  to  every  person  who 
wanted  work.  If  the  people  outside  the  farm  were 
made  so  prosperous  that  they  could  increase  their 
annual  purchases  of  breadstuffs  and  meat,  an  aver- 
age of  barely  five  dollars  each,  the  farmer  would  have 
a  home  market,  in  addition  to  what  he  now  has,  for 
more  produce  than  this  country  ever  sold  in  one  year 
to  all  foreign  lands.  The  market  for  the  products 
of  this  increased  labor  must  be  found  abroad.  It  can 
be  found  by  abolishing  the  tax  on  raw  material  and 
inaugurating  a  general  interchange  of  commodities 
with  all  the  world." 

"Such  a  statement,  Major,  really  startles  me. 
Can  it  be  true  ?  If  so,  the  need  is  not  so  much  more 
mouths  to  consume  farm  produce,  and  the  building 
up  of  a  bigger  home  market  as  far  as  numbers  are 
concerned,  as  the  steady  employment  of  all  who 
desire  to  work  with  fair  wages,  thus  enabling  the 
masses  to  live  better  and  more  comfortably  by  buying 
more  food  and  raiment.  The  farmer,  you  think,  is 
more  interested  and  has  more  at  stake  in  labor  pros- 
pering than  has  any  other  class  of  people." 


72        THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

"  Just  so,  every  word  of  it.  There  can  be  no  seri- 
ous disturbance  in  finance  but  the  farmer  is  injured 
by  it.  Every  strike  or  lock-out  reduces  the  demand 
for  farm  produce.  Every  failure  of  any  indus- 
try, or  a  partial  suspension  of  work  which  throws 
operatives  out  of  employment,  reduces  the  demand 
for  farm  produce.  The  lowering  of  wages  reduces 
the  demand  for  farm  produce.  The  idle  million  of 
strong  and  willing  hands  reduces  the  demand  for 
farm  produce.  Anything  which  tends  to  depress 
business  and  hinder  the  prosperity  of  the  country 
reduces  the  demand  for  farm  produce.  The  farmer 
must  have  thrift  and  prosperity  all  around  him, 
everywhere,  in  the  work-shop,  factory,  mine  and 
counting-room,  in  order  to  thrive  and  prosper  him- 
self. Any  other  class  of  producers  except  the  farmer 
can  limit  and  control  the  extent  of  its  products  in 
accordance  with  the  demand  and  the  ability  of  con- 
sumers to  buy/' 

"  Do  you  assert,  Major  Holbrook,  that  the  thrift 
and  prosperity  so  desirable  would  be  assured  the 
farmer  by  the  success  of  tariff  reform  ?" 

"  I  do  not  assert  that  it  will  prove  the  great  cure- 
all  for  every  disease  which  effects  the  body  politic. 
I  do  insist,  however,  that  the  chief  cause  of  the 
depression  in  agriculture  is  the  protective  tariff. 
Remove  the  cause  of  the  depression  and  the  depres- 
sion can  not  continue." 

"Will  you  explain  more  fully,"  asked  Farmer 
Nagle,  "  how  the  work-shops  of  this  country,  whieis 
I  have  read  number  nearly  one-third  of  a  million, 
could  find  a  market  for  their  products  were  they  to 


THE   MORTGAGE   AND   HOW   IT   GOT  THERE.         73 

arid  what  would  be  equal  to  three  operatives  to  the 
working  force  of  each  ?  " 

"  I  believe  that  with  raw  material,"  replied  Major 
Holbrook,  "such  as  iron  and  copper  ore,  sugar,  lum- 
ber, wool  and  coal,  admitted  free,  and  half  the  tariff 
on  necessaries  removed,  this  country  could  make  and 
sell  enough  goods  to  the  people  of  Great  Britain, 
Central  and  South  America  and  Mexico,  to  employ, 
in  the  making  of  them,  every  idle  man  in  the  United 
States,  and  pay  them  good  living  wages.  This  trade 
o/  itself  would  make  a  better  and  bigger  home  mar- 
ket for  farm  produce,  in  addition  to  what  we  now 
possess,  than  could  be  secured  from  all  the  skilled 
industries  in  the  land  if  engaged  in  manufacturing 
goods  only  for  the  home  market." 

"  I  can  not  help  admitting,"  added  Farmer  Nagle, 
"that  there  is  a  good  deal  of  sound  reasoning  in  such 
statements.  I  have  no  desire  to  contradict  them. 
Cn  the  contrary,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  them.  But 
please  tell  me  how  the  tariff  stands  in  the  way  of  our 
now  building  up  such  a  trade  with  those  countries  ?" 

"I  see  there  is  an  idle  team  in  the  corn-field  wait- 
ing for  you,  Mr.  Nagle,  and  I  will  not  detain  you 
longer,"  said  the  Major,  "when  you  can  find  a  little 
leisure,  come  round  to  my  house  and  we  will  take  up 
this  subject  with  that  question." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

HOW    TO   GET  RID   OF  THE   MORTGAGE   OK  THE  FARM. 

"Well,  Farmer  Nagle,  I  hardly  expected  to  see 
you  this  evening,  and  yet  I  am  glad  you  have  come. 
Take  a  seat." 

"  Thank  you,  Major,  I  have  come  because  I  am 
beginning  to  think  this  tariff  has  everything  to  do 
with  successful  farming,  and  I  propose  to  find  out 
how  it  does  it." 

"You  have  hit  the  nail  square  on  the  head,  Farmer 
Nagle.  The  tariff  does  prevent  successful  farm- 
ing, and  I  will  tell  you  how.  But  first  let  me 
answer  the  question  you  asked  me  to-day  noon. 
'How  does  the  tariff  prevent  the  United  States 
building  up  a  large  trade  with  foreign  countries?' 
In  the  first  place,  if  the  fetters  put  on  the  manufact- 
ures of  this  country  and  the  Chinese-wall  policy 
pursued  by  this  government  toward  other  nations 
were  removed,  we  would  not  only  drive  England  and 
France,  to  a  certain  extent,  out  of  the  markets  of  Cen- 
tral and  South  America  and  Mexico,  but  we  would 
sell  goods  wherever  on  the  face  of  the  earth  goods 
were  bought.0 

"  I  wish  you  would  explain,  Major,  what  you  mean 
by  removing  the  'fetters  " 

"  I  mean,  to  take  the  tariff  off  of  every  kind  of  raw 
material  which  enters  largely  into  the  product  of 
any  American  industry,  and  thu's  enable  that  indus- 

74 


HOW  TO    GET    RID    OF   THE    MORTGAGE.  75 

try  to  manufacture  better  goods  cheaper  than  they 
can  be  manufactured  anywhere  else  on  the  round 
globe.  Reduce  the  tax  on  necessaries  at  least  one- 
half,  and  encourage  the  building  of  American  ships 
by  abolishing  the  tariff  on  everything  that  enters 
into  the  construction  of  a  vessel.  Load  American 
ships  with  the  products  of  American  farms  and  Amer- 
ican factories,  and  sail  those  ships  into  every  harbor 
where  there  is  a  civilized  community  with  money 
or  raw  material  or  other  valuable  commodities  to 
exchange  for  our  products.  Make  it  an  object 
for  the  world  to  buy  American-made  goods  and 
the  products  of  American  soil,  by  buying  from  the 
world  the  things  the  world  has  to  sell  and  the  things 
America  wants.  Tear  down  all  the  barriers  that  fet- 
ter and  handicap  trade  and  traffic,  and  build  up  a 
commerce  between  America  and  the  balance  of  the 
world  which  shall  put  this  land  in  business  communi- 
cation with  every  community  that  wants  to  buy  any- 
thing or  wants  to  sell  anything.  There  is  no  danger 
of  the  world  getting  the  better  of  America.  With 
trade  unrestricted  to  the  extent  suggested,  America 
can,  if  it  becomes  a  strife  between  nations,  both 
feed  and  clothe  the  world.  That  most  dismal  of  all 
cries  that  ever  pierced  an  American  ear,  and  espe- 
cially the  ear  of  the  farmer,  and  that  most  senseless 
cry,  the  cry  of  overproduction,  would  find  noplace 
in  business  circles,  but  the  wares  that  America  made 
and  the  surplus  product  the  American  farmer  grew, 
would  find  a  market,  at  a  fair  profit,  either  in  Amer- 
ica or'  beyond  the  sea.  Then,  with  gambling  in  farm 
produce  stopped,  Chicago  and  New  York,  might 


76  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

have  something  to  say  about  fixing  the  price.  There 
would  be  no  excuse  for  hostile  foreign  tariffs  which 
work  such  serious  injury  to  the  American  farmer. 
Those  countries  which  exclude  our  pork  products 
and  tax  our  breadstuffs  would  fall  in  with  this  liberal 
policy,  and  again  invite  us  to  feed  their  people." 

"  Would  not  this  country  then,"  replied  Farmer 
Nagle,  "  to  all  intents  and  purposes  have  free  trade?  " 

"  No,  my  dear  sir,  it  would  not  be  free  trade,  but 
it  would  be  fair,  just  and  honorable  trade,  in  which 
the  United  States  has  nothing  to  lose  but  everything 
to  gain.  There  would  still  be  sufficient  tax  on  foreign 
goods,  added  to  the  internal  revenue,  to  meet  the 
expenses  of  the  government  and  give  to  home  indus- 
tries enough  protection  to  not  only  make  those  indus- 
tries profitable,  but  to  insure  to  labor  good  wages  and 
steady  employment.1' 

"  If  this  country/'  continued  Major  Holbrook, 
"  expects  to  sell  its  products  to  other  nations,  it  must 
buy  goods  which  other  nations  sell.  This  is  fair 
trade.  If  you  take  your  produce  to  Bradford  Junc- 
tion and  get  the  money  for  it  of  a  merchant  who  runs 
a  store  and  sells  goods  as  cheap  as  any  one  else  and 
you  take  that  money  and  go  to  Wilton  Station  and 
buy  your  family  supplies,  that  is  unfair  trade.  Per- 
sisted in  for  a  considerable  length  of  time  the  Brad- 
ford merchant  would  refuse  to  buy  your  wheat  and 
pork,  because  his  profit  in  a  deal  with  you  comes 
from  the  goods  he  sells-your  at  her  than  from  the  prod- 
uce he  buys  of  you.  So  with  our  breadstuff  and 
meat  sold  in  England  or  South  America  or  any  other 
foreign  country.  If  the  shipper  persists  in  demand- 


HOW  TO   GET   RID   OF  THE   MORTGAGE.  77 

ing  gold  and  silver,  and  refuses  to  take  in  exchange 
for  that  produce  such  articles  as  those  countries  grow 
or  mine  or  manufacture  and  such  as  we  need  andean 
buy  cheaper  than  at  home,  we  can  not  expect  those 
countries  to  buy  our  products." 

"Have  you  in  your  mind,  Major,  any  article  of 
raw  material  brought  from  abroad,  admitted  free, 
which  our  factories  use  to  advantage?" 

"  Yes,  there  is  raw  silk.  While  many  other  indus- 
tries, particularly  woolen  mills,  are  languishing,  the 
silk  mills  are  prospering  and  the  operatives  are  paid 
high  wages.  A  few  years  ago  raw  hides  were  put  on 
the  free  list,  since  Avhich  time  we  have  increased 
our  sales  of  boots  and  shoes  to  foreign  countries  from 
less  than  half  a  million  dollars  annually  to  more  than 
ten  million  dollars,  and  we  bring  those  hides  in  large 
quantities  from  foreign  countries  and  send  back 
millions  of  pounds  of  sole  leather,  employing,  in  tan- 
ning, thousands  of  hands.  Before  hides  were  put  on 
the  free  list,  this  country  sold  no  leather  to  any 
foreign  country." 

"Is  there  not  a  tariff  on  boots  and  shoes?  " 

"  Yes,  and  it  operates  precisely  as  the  tariff  on 
wheat,  flour  and  pork  does.  Except  a  few  fancy  arti- 
cles purchased  by  those  nabobs  you  have  made  so  rich 
by  pouring  your  earnings  into  their  pockets,  there 
are  comparatively  few  boots  and  shoes  imported." 

"  Are  you  clear  in  your  mind,  Major,  that  with 
European  countries  manufacturing  such  immense 
quantities  of  goods,  the  United  States,  even  with  free, 
raw  material,  and  the  tariff  largely  reduced  on  neces- 
saries, could  compete  with  them?" 


78  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

"  There  can  be  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  Major  Hoi- 
brook.  "  Though  hampered  and  fettered  by  an  ill- 
begotten  and  ill-fitting  tariff,  we  have  already  gone 
into  the  midst  of  that  competition  and  sold  our  wares. 
This  country  sold  to  England  alone,  in  one  year, 
more  than  twenty-five  million  dollars'  worth  of  manu- 
factured goods,  not  counting  flour  or  soil  products. 
We  bring  raw  sugar  from  abroad,  and  sell  six  or  seven 
million  dollars'  worth  of  refined  sugar  in  the  English 
market.  We  sell  iron  and  steel  machinery  to  Eng- 
land, and  also  clocks,  watches,  organs,  pianos  and 
other  musical  instruments.  Make  raw  material  free, 
and  this  country  would  surprise  itself  at  the  extent 
of  the  trade  it  would  speedily  build  up  in  foreign 
markets." 

"I  see,  Neighbor  Holbrook,  the  force  of  your 
reasoning,  and  I  must  say  I  feel  like  assenting  to 
many  of  your  conclusions.  I  like  the  idea  of 
fair  trade,  and  there  is  something  massive  in  the 
thought  that  it  is  possible  for  this  country  to  do  the 
lion's  share  of  feeding  and  clothing  mankind.  I  can 
but  admit  that  the  present  policy  is  a  supremely 
selfish  one,  and  this  country  must  be  the  loser  all 
the  time  by  continuing  it.  I  confess  it  looks  plaus- 
iblfe  that  abolishing  the  tax  on  raw  materials,  and 
reducing  the  tariff  largely  on  such  other  articles 
grown  or  prepared  abroad  as  are  essential  for  our 
manufacturers  to  use,  to  put  them  on  an  equal  foot- 
ing with  the  industries  of  other  countries,  and  with 
the  American  brain  behind  the  machinery  and  in  the 
counting  room,  will  enable  America  to  make  as  cheap 
and  as  good  goods  as  can  be  made  else  where;  and  then 


HOW  TO   GET   RID   OF   THE   MORTGAGE.  79 

with  free  ships  and  unrestricted  commerce,  with  the 
same  industrious  soliciting  of  trade  and  the  same 
liberal  methods  of  credit  and  interest  practiced  by 
England  and  France,  I  see  no  reason  why  those  goods 
can  not  be  sold  wherever  a  civilized  flag  floats." 

"Bravo,  bravo,  Mr.  Nagle.  You  are  becoming  as 
enthusiastic  upon  this  subject  as  I  am.  I  like  the 
way  you  grasp  the  situation.  You  don't  seem  to  be 
afraid  to  admit  that  you  know  more  to-day  than  you  did 
yesterday.  Great  reforms  must  have  defenders  pull- 
ing in  front  and  pushing  behind,  and  to  be  a  reformer, 
one  must  forget  something  that  is  old  and  learn 
something  that  is  new.  You  have  done  it,  and  I 
welcome  you,  with  outstretched  arms,  into  the  grow- 
ing ranks  of  the  advocates  of  tariff  reform." 

"  Thank  3-011,  Major,  for  the  compliment." 

"  Now,  Neighbor  Nagle,  with  this  reform  a  possible 
success,  what  effect  do  you  think  it  would  have  on 
the  price  of  farm  produce  ?" 

"I  believe  it  would,  directly  or  indirectly,  raise 
prices  so  there  would  once  again  be  a  satisfactory 
profit  in  growing  grain  and  meat.  It  would  give 
employment  to  the  idle  million  and  insure  good 
wages  to  labor.  It  would  give  the  farmer  all  there 
possibly  can  be  in  a  home  market,  and  all  he  could 
expect  from  a  foreign  market.  It  would  reduce  the 
price  of  the  necessaries  he  must  have  for  family  use, 
and  it  would  take  the  farm  out  of  the  rut  that  is 
each  year  being  worn  deeper  and  deeper,  and  give 
to  the  farmer  a  new  lease  of  a  new  life,  and  to  his 
family  that  peace,  happiness  and  contentment  they 
have  been  so  largely  deprived  of  the  past  two 
decades." 


80  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

"I  am  pleased  my  friend  to  hear  you  talk  thin. 
We  will  now  come  back  to  that  mortgage  which  is 
eating  up  your  substance  and  which  threatens  to  turn 
you  and  your  family  out  of  doors." 

"  True,  true,  in  my  exuberance  of  joy  over  the  pros- 
pects of  good  times,  which  might  come  by  the  bringing 
about  a  reform  in  the  tariff,  I  forgot  I  was  in  the 
mire  and  beyond  help  from  any  such  reform.  I  see 
no  hope  or  help  for  me  or  mine." 

"  I  am  not  so  sure  of  that/'  replied  Major  Holbrook, 
"as  I  have  said  it  depends  upon  your  own  courage, 
whether  you  sink  or  come  up  on  dry  land.  I  have  not, 
however,  done  with  that  mortgage.  How  much  is 
your  farm  worth  ?" 

"Ten  years  ago  it  was  worth  four  thousand  dol- 
lars, but  it  would  not  sell  now  for  much  more  tliH«n 
half  that  sum." 

"What  has  caused  this  great  reduction  in  its 
value?" 

"That  is  a  difficult  question  to  answer.  I  real.y 
can  not  tell.  The  farm  yielded  this  very  year  tlie 
biggest  crops  I  ever  had,  so  the  cause  can  not  be  m 
the  soil  wearing  out." 

"Has  not  the  earning  power  of  the  farm  hud 
nearly  everything  to  do  with  it?"  asked  the  Major. 
"  That  is,  if  the  farm  had  returned  to  you  and  your 
family  a  good  living,  and  you  had  not  been  com- 
pelled to  mortgage  it  to  obtain  money  which  it 
ought  to  have  earned  for  you,  would  its  value  now 
not  be  fully  what  it  was  ten  years  ago?" 

"I  have  no  doubt  of  it." 

"  Do  you  know,  Mr.  Nagle,  that  the  profits  from 


HOW  TO   GET  BID   OF  THE   MORTGAGE.  81 

farming  are  less  than  from  any  other  business.?  The 
gain  on  capital  invested  in  farms  is  two  per  cent., 
the  gain  on  mortgages  is  eight  per  cent.,  and  the 
gain  on  manufactories,  which  are  protected  by  your 
earnings,  is  forty  per  cent.  The  very  condition  of 
things  which  makes  farm  property  return  only  two 
per  cent,  to  the  owner  makes  manufactories  return 
forty  per  cent,  to  their  owners.  See  how  it  operates 
in  your  own  case.  The  tax  which  has  been  levied  on 
you  in  the  name  of  tariff  has  each  year  been  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  dollars.  Of  this  amount, 
say  fifteen  dollars  and  seventy  cents  goes  into  the 
Federal  treasury,  as  your  share  of  the  expense  of 
running  the  government.  The  balance  of  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-one  dollars  and  thirty  cents  goes  into 
the  pockets  of  manufacturers,  for  their  protection, 
which  fancied  protection  really  hampers  and  handi- 
caps them,  and  prevents  any  efforts  on  their  part  to 
compete  with  the  manufactories  of  other  countries." 

"  Strange  I  have  not  seen  all  this  before,  Major! " 

"  Now,  then,  with  the  tariff  reform  established  as 
the  policy  of  this  country,  you  would  have  that  one 
hundred  and  forty-one  dollars  and  thirty  cents  to 
pay  each  year  on  your  mortgage,  instead  of  paying 
it  for  protection  that  does  not  protect." 

"  I  see.  I  see.  How  the  scales  are  dropping  from 
my  eyes!  " 

"  And  I  trust,  Farmer  Xagle,  you  also  see  that  the 
amount  you  have  every  year  donated  to  wealthy  man- 
ufacturers is  just  about  the  amount  you  have  been 
running  behind  each  year." 

"  Yes,  I  see  that,  too." 
6 


82        THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

"  Now  then,  with  this  amount  saved  every  year, 
to  apply  on  the  mortgage,  and  the  price  of  your  prod- 
uce increased  to  the  extent  you  have  every  reason 
to  believe  that  general  prosperity,  as  the  result  of 
tariff  reform,  would  bring  about,  how  long  would  it 
take  you  to  get  out  of  debt  and  fling  that  mortgage 
into  the  fire?" 

"  Five  crops  would  do  it  sure,  Major,  and  give  my 
family  a  better  living  than  ever  before,  with  less 
slave-work  for  every  member  of  my  household/' 

"Have  you  the  courage,  Mr.  Nagle,  to  do  your 
part  in  bringing  about  this"  tariff  reform?  In  your 
individual  case,  its  success  will  lift  you  out  of  the 
mire,  because  the  holder  of  the  mortgage  will  not 
be  anxious  for  his  money,  knowing  that  his  security 
would  be  abundant,  insuring  the  prompt  payment  of 
the  interest,  and  some  day,  after  tariff  reform  shall 
have  been  established,  you  will  have  to  thrust  the 
principal  upon  him,  because  loaning  money  to  farm- 
ers will  then,  in  a  great  measure,  become  a  lost  art/' 

"Yes,  I  see  I  am  personally  interested  in  more 
ways  than  one,  in  this  grand  reform,  and  I  dare  do 
anything  that  is  honorable  and  manly  to  help  bring 
it  about/' 

"Then  vote  for  men  for  Congress,  and  other 
officers,  who  favor  a  reduction  of  the  tariff.  If 
the  party  with  which  you  are  identified  don't 
pronounce  for  the  reform,  let  your  party  do  with- 
out you  until  the  reform  wins  the  day,  and  when 
that  is  done,  and  you  care  to  go  back  to  your 
party,  go  back.  But  until  the  party  which  de- 
clares for  this  reform,  is  victorious,  your  place  is 


TO   GET  KID   OF  THE  MORTGAGE. 

with  that  part)7.  If  you  have  greater  love  for  your 
party  than  the  success  of  an  issue  that  will  put  you 
on  your  feet,  and  clear  you  of  debt,  you  can  keep  on 
trying  to  extricate  yourself  from  the  mire,  and  see 
where  you  will  be  when  you  can  struggle  no  more." 

"  You  have  said  enough,  Major  Holbrook,  I  see 
my  duty  clearly.  I  would  be  false  to  myself,  and 
place  in  jeopardy  for  all  time  the  happiness  and  wel- 
fare of  my  family,  should  I  fail  to  cut  away  from  the 
party  which  favors  a  high-protective  tariff.  There 
is  but  one  place  for  me  to  go,  and  that  is  into  the 
ranks  of  that  party  which  stands  pledged  to  support 
a  reduction  of  the  tariff  on  the  necessaries  of  life, 
and  the  complete  abolition  of  the  tax  on  raw  mate- 
rial. I  am  right  glad  I  have  had  this  conversation 
with  you,  Major  Holbrook.  You  have  furnished  me 
food  for  thought,  and  I  propose  to  discuss  the  sub- 
ject with  my  neighbors  at  every  opportunity  I  get." 

"When  you  do  talk  this  matter  over  with  them," 
added  Major  Holbrook,  "impress  upon  them  the 
great  truth  that  the  tendency  of  the  times  is  toward 
the  cheapening  of  everything  consumed  by  man- 
kind. In  the  race  for  low  prices  for  things  the 
world  eats,  the  farmer  will  be  left  way  behind,  unless 
he  uses  all  the  political  power  he  possesses,  to  cast 
aside  those  artificial  barriers  which  stand  between  the 
prices  he  gets  for  the  things  he  sells,  and  the  prices 
he  pays  for  the  things  he  buys.  The  world  will  keep 
insisting  on  having  bread  and  meat  low.  The  farm- 
ers will  drop  out  of  the  race,  and  become  mere  serfs, 
unless  they  insist  on  having  clothing,  agricultural 
implements,  lumber  and  all  the  necessaries  of  life 


84:  THE  MORTGAOE  FORECLOSED. 

they  do  not  themselves  produce,  correspondingly 
low.  They  can  survive  the  contest  which  seems  to 
be  closing  in  upon  them,  by  contending  for  the  com- 
plete abolition  of  so  much  of  the  tariff,  as  is  levied 
exclusively  for  protection.  Good-bye." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    MYSTERIOUS   STRANGER. 

One  day  the  news  spread  rapidly  through  the 
neighborhood  that  Major  Hoi  brook  was  seriously  ill. 
A  malarial  fever  was  having  its  run  with  a  constant 
uncertainty  as  to  the  sick  man's  recovery.  Mrs. 
Winters  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  the  Major's  house, 
n>aking  herself  so  useful  in  the  sick  room,  relieving 
Mary  and  the  nurse  of  a  part  of  their  cares  and 
duties,  that  they  beseeched  her  to  make  her  home  for 
a  time  with  them,  so  that  she  might,  with  less  incon- 
venience to  herself,  render  the  assistance  she  prof- 
fered. Seeing  that  Mary  was  worn  out  and  likely  to 
break  down,  Mrs.  Winters  consented,  and  was  placed 
in  charge  of  the  house. 

A  male  nurse  was  needed,  and  inquiries  for  one 
were  made  at  the  county  seat.  In  time  a  strong, 
stout,  middle-aged,  gentlemanly-appealing  stranger 
applied  for  the  place.  His  interview  was  with  Mrs. 
Winters.  She  employed  him  and  installed  him  in 
his  work. 

There  was  a  mysterious  something  about  this  man 
and  his  habits  which  Mary  oftentimes  found  herself 
trying  to  fathom,  and  the  most  singular  thing  was 
the  mystery  seemed  to  involve  Mrs.  Winters  with  it. 
Why  or  how  no  one  that  noticed  it  could  tell.  Mary 
threw  it  off  with  the  thought  that  at  the  worst  it  was 
only  a  shadow  of  suspicion.  Mrs.  Winter's  early 

85 


86  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

history  was  a  blank  as  far  as  the  people  in  the  neigh- 
borhood knew  anything  of  it.  While  she  had  lived 
since  coming  there  the  life  of  a  Christian  woman,  and 
while  her  character  was  pure  and  spotless,  yet  the 
closest  observers  had,  from  time  to  time,  noticed  a 
strangeness  in  her  actions  which  created  a  feeling 
that  something  was  wrong.  Men  unknown  in  the 
community  had  been  seen  loitering  after  night  in 
the  shadow  of  the  trees  that  grew  near  her  house. 
They  came,  no  one  knew  from  where,  and  they  went 
no  one  knew  whither.  She  was  never  known  to 
mention  the  name  of  husband.  If  he  were  dead 
she  never  told  it.  If  he  were  living  she  never  men- 
tioned it.  Yet  she  had  a  son  she  idolized.  Why 
silently  feed  the  mysterious  with  mystery? 

The  stranger  faithfully  applied  himself  to  the  work 
assigned  him.  He  gradually  won  the  respect,  and,  it 
may  be,  the  confidence  of  the  sick  man.  He  studied 
to  please  Major  Holbrook.  He  labored  to  make  his 
services  indispensable.  There  was,  however,  a  cool- 
ness between  him  and  Mrs.  Winters  which  others 
could  not  help  noticing.  Why  was  the  man  nurse, 
who  was  oiily  a  temporary  employe  of  the  house- 
hold, and  a  stranger,  too,  and  who  when  his  services 
were  no  longer  required  would  go  as  he  had  come,  a 
stranger,  worthy  of  even  being  shunned  by  Mrs.  Win- 
ters? 

The  man  soon  became  a  necessity  at  Major  Hoi- 
brook's  bedside.  Xo  nurse  ever  more  faithful  served 
the  sick,  than  did  that  stranger  serve  Major  Hol- 
brook. He  was  ever  on  the  alert  to  make  himself 
useful,  and  he  succeeded  in  so  ingratiating  himself 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   STRANGER.  87 

into  the  affections  of  Mary  and  the  physician,  and 
the  nurse,  by  little  acts  of  kindness  to  all  of  them, 
and  by  his  constant  devotion  to  the  failing  invalid, 
that  all  were  ready  to  trust  him  and  put  the  utmost 
confidence  in  his  honor  and  integrity.  To  all  these 
marks  of  respect  shown  the  stranger,  Mrs.  "Winters 
demurred  by  looks  and  signs,  which  seemed  to  be 
never  understood,  but  she  communicated  her  thoughts 
to  no  living  person.  She  evidently  wanted  to  warn 
the  family  of  something  connected  with  the  stranger's 
presence,  but  her  lips  were  sealed.  She  was  the 
woman  of  mysteries. 

One  morning,  after  a  restless  night,  the  sick  man 
called  Mrs.  Winters  to  his  bedside.  He  told  her 
he  believed  he  had  but  a  few  hours  to  live.  He  as- 
sured her  he  was  prepared  to  die,  but  he  was  in  doubt 
as  to  a  future  world.  "  Where  could  heaven  be/'  had 
been  the  subject  of  his  thoughts  for  weeks.  Could 
Mrs.  Winters,  whom  he  always  found  so  sensible  and 
wise  in  worldly  matters,  give  him  some  reasonable 
theory  as  to  where  God  might  put  the  souls  of  men, 
when  life  on  eartlrwas  ended?  then  he  would  die  full 
of  faith  in  the  power  of  the  Almighty  to  redeem  the 
promises  made  by  Christ. 

Mrs.  Winters  stood  aghast.  She  was  astonished 
that  a  man  of  Major  Holbrookes  intelligence  and 
information,  whose  life  was  spotless  and  blameless, 
whose  mature  years  had  been  spent  in  doing  good  to 
his  fellow-man,  who,  though  making  no  outward  pro- 
fession of  religion,  was  known  to  be  a  Christian, should, 
on  the  verge  of  the  grave,  harbor  a  doubt  as  to  the 
existence  of  a  future  state. 


88  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

The  good  lady  controlled  her  feelings  the  best  she 
could.  She  understood  the  situation  at  once.  Major 
Holbrook  had  not  seen  heaven,  had  never  seen  any 
one  who  had,  and  now  he  was  in  doubt  whether  there 
was  a  heaven  or  not. 

"Major  Holbrook,"  replied  Mrs.  Winters,  "it  is 
these  kinds  of  doubt  by  men  of  practical  good  sense, 
on  their  death-bed,  that  are  wearing  upon  the  Christi- 
anity of  the  Bible,  as  the  constant  dripping  wears  the 
stone.  You  ask  me  if  I  can  tell  you  where  heaven 
is  ?  I  know  not,  nor  do  I  care,  nor  should  you. 
The  Divinity  that  could  stud  the  heavens  with  worlds 
upon  worlds,  may,  for  aught  I  know,  have  provided 
a  home  as  large  as  this  earth  for  each  immortal  soul. 
Puny  man  in  the  hands  of  Deity  is  but  as  one  drop 
of  water  in  a  million  oceans.  It  is  no  more  effort  for 
the  Almighty  to  prepare  a  heaven  for  your  soul, 
Major  Holbrook,  than  for  Him  to  make  a  grain  of 
sand  or  a  breath  of  air.  When  God  shall  take  your 
spirit  from  its  frail  tenement,  He  will  not  leave  it  to 
wander  aimlessly  about  in  space  through  all  eternity, 
but  He  will  go  with  it  and  show  it  the  way  to  its  new 
home.  With  such  a  guide  you  can  have  no  fear  but 
the  heaven  will  be  found.  As  you  have  ev.er  believed 
in  God's  promises,  have  faith  now  that  He  will  fulfill 
them." 

The  dying  man  gave  the  Christian  woman  a  look 
of  satisfaction  as  if  to  acknowledge  the  justness  of 
her  mild  reproof,  and  to  accept  her  words  of  hope 
and  comfort.  His  lips  parted  as  if  he  would  say 
something  more.  That  the  end  was  nigh  was  evi- 
dent. The  household  were  quickly  summoned,  but 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   STRANGER.  89 

no  word  did  he  utter.  Mary,  weeping  as  one  whose 
cup  of  sorrow  was  full,  held  one  of  her  father's  hands. 
Mrs.  Winters,  calm  and  almost  stoical,  held  the 
other,  and  the  stranger  bathed  the  dying  man's  tem- 
ples. A  sigh,  a  groan,  a  fluttering  heart,  and  all  was 
over. 


CHAPTER  X. 

WHY    SHE     REFUSED   TO   MARRY    MAJOR    HOLBROOK. 

In  a  drawer  where  Major  Holbrook  had  kept  his 
private  papers  there  was  found,  after  his  death,  the 
following  letter  written  by  Mrs.  Winters: 

TO  MY  DEAR  FRIEND  STEPHEN  HOLBROOK: 

Yesterday  I  told  you  I  would  give  you  my  reasons  in  writ- 
ing, for  refusing  your  offer  of  marriage.  I  now  fulfill  that 
promise. 

I  was  an  only  child.  I  was  born  in  a  New  England  factory 
town,  in  the  year  18 — .  My  father  was  the  senior  member  of 
the  firm  of  Winters  &  Groundwig,  who  owned  and  operated  a 
large  woolen  mill,  and  were  considered  quite  wealthy.  I  was 
given  as  good  an  education  as  the  seminaries  of  those  days 
furnished  young  ladies.  At  the  age  of  nineteen  I  graduated, 
not  at  the  head  of  my  class,  but  with  my  mind  well  stored  with 
book  lore.  On  my  return  from  school,  I~took  a  great  interest 
in  the  welfare  of  the  operatives  in  the  mill,  and  was  constantly 
busy  in  various  ways  trying  to  improve  their  condition.  Silas 
Groundwig  was  the  city  partner,  and  received  and  sold  the 
goods  manufactured  at  the  mill.  He  visited  the  factory  three 
or  four  times  a  year,  and  each  visit  he  sought  to  make  his 
coming  and  his  stay  as  agreeable  to  me  as  possible.  It  did  not 
take  me  long  to  perceive  that  his  politeness  grew  out  of  some- 
thing more  than  friendship,  so  I  can  hardly  say  I  was  surprised 
when  he  asked  my  hand  in  marriage.  While  I  had  no  particu- 
lar reason  to  dislike  him,  I  did  not  entertain  that  love  for  him 
that  I  felt  I  should  to  warrant  me  in  accepting  his  offer.  I 
lost  no  time  in  telling  him  so,  and  with  real  sadness  and  sorrow 
1  acquainted  him  with  the  state  of  my  feelings  toward  him. 
and  we  parted. 

90 


WHY   SHE   REFUSED  TO   MARRY.  91 

A  few  months  afterwards  I  heard  mutterings  among  the 
operatives  about  pay-day  having  passed  without  their  wages 
being  handed  them.  At  this  time  my  mother  died,  and  after 
the  funeral,  upon  visiting  the  factory,  I  learned  that  matters 
were  in  a  worse  condition  than  ever.  I  asked  my  father  to 
take  me  into  his  confidence  and  tell  me  all,  and  he  then  in- 
formed me  that  his  partner  had  invested  the  money  of  the  firm 
In  schemes  that  proved  worthless,  and  that  the  factory  would 
have  to  be  sold  to  satisfy  the  mortgage  which  had  been  placed 
upon  it.  T  saw  that  such  a  proceeding  would  leave  the 
operatives— men,  women  and  children — without  money,  with- 
out food,  and  with  scant  raiment,  and,  in  many  instances,  with- 
out shelter.  I  knew  that  Mr.  Groundwig  was  a  man  of  many 
resources,  and  I  was  not  long  in  reaching  his  office,  and  impor- 
tuning him  to  come  to  the  aid  of  the  penniless  operatives.  lie 
did  not  appear  a  hard-hearted  man.  He  was  a  business  man 
in  ever}-  sense;  of  the  word.  The  world  might  have  called  him 
cold,  and  it  may  be  the  world  was  right,  but  I  thought  I 
detected  in  him  a  warm,  sympathetic  heart.  So,  when  he 
referred  to  the  love  he  once  had  for  me,  and  assured  me  it  had 
grown  stronger  with  time,  and  when  he  again  asked  me  for 
my  hand,  and  gently  intimated  that  we  could  together  do  for 
the  operatives  what  I  had  implored  him  to  do  alone,  I  yielded, 
not  for  love,  but  for  humanity,  not  because  of  any  affection  I 
had  for  him,  but  that  almost  a  whole  village  full  of  people  I 
loved,  and  I  loved  them  the  more  because  they  were  poor  and 
needy,  might  not  be  turned  out  into  the  world  friendless  and 
homeless. 

We  were  married.  The  factory  hands  were  paid  all  that 
was  coming  to  them.  They  never  knew  that  the  one  they 
loved  so  much,  made  the  greatest  sacrifice  a  woman  can  make 
for  their  sake.  I  did  not  know  myself,  then,  how  great  the 
sacrifice  was.  How  bitterly  I  have  learned  it  all  since.  A  few 
mouths  after  the  marriage  my  father  died.  I  think  he  believed 
to  the  hour  of  his  death  that  I  had  married  a  man  I"  did  not 
love  to  save  my  father  from  bankruptcy.  My  great  sacrifice 
bore  bitterer  fruit  than  that. 

A  boy  babe  was  born  to  gladden  my  heart.    My  whole  soul 


92  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

was  wrapped  up  In  the  child.  There  was  no  one  else  for  me 
to  love.  There  was  none  other  to  love  me.  The  father  of  my 
darling  boy  had  continued  his  speculations  and  lost  all  he  pos- 
sessed, and,  on  the  day  my  child  was  born,  my  husband  came 
to  my  bed  chamber  and  demanded  I  should  sign  a  paper  trans- 
ferring to  him  all  the  property  my  father  had  left  me  at  his 
death.  I  refused,  and  the  man  who  had  the  right  to  call  me 
by  the  holy  name  of  wife,  in  that  hour,  if  in  no  other,  when 
angels  should  guard  the  mother's  couch,  struck  me  a  savage 
blow,  and  then  passed  beyond  my  threshold,  out  into  the 
world,  no  longer  my  husband,  except  in  name.  If  he  could 
have  then  gone  to  his  grave  instead  of  afterwards  returning  to 
my  presence,  much  of  the  sorrow  I  have  borne,  and  many  of 
the  tears  I  have  shed,  would  have  been  spared  me. 

For  seven  years  he  remained  away.  I  heard  of  him  from 
time  to  time  as  an  adventurer  seeking  a-livelihood  by  dishonest 
means.  One  day  he  returned  to  my  home.  He  claimed  my 
boy — my  darling  boy.  His  boy.  Though  the  father  had  never 
seen  the  child,  though  he  had  aimed  a  blow  at  the  mother  on 
purpose  to  kill  the  babe,  though  he  had  abandoned  his  family 
and  left  the  mother  alone  to  care  for  the  child,  yet  the  lawyer 
told  me  there  was  danger  that  the  law  might  take  my  boy — 
understand,  my  boy — and  give  him  to  his  unnatural  father. 

I  waited  no  longer;  hastily  packing  a  few  clothes  in  a  bundle 
that  I  could  carry  in  my  hand,  writing  a  note  to  my  lawyer, 
instructing  him  to  collect  my  rents  and  remit  the  proceeds  as 
I  should  afterwards  direct,  and  giving  him  permission  to  rent 
my  home,  I  clasped  my  boy  by  the  hand,  and  I  remember  to 
this  moment  with  what  thrilling  fervor  he  returned  that  grasp, 
and  out  into  the  darkness  and  the  storm  we  went  together — 
my  boy  and  I.  Cared  I  not  where  I  went,  nor  how  fearfully 
the  storm  raged,  how  vivid  the  lightning,  how  swollen  the 
streams,  how  dangerous  the  bridges,  for  the  danger  ahead,  no 
matter  what  it  might  be,  even  if  unto  death,  if  death  would 
come  to  both  alike,  was  sunshine  and  depthless  joy  to  the 
immeasurable  horror  of  the  danger  which  lurked  behind. 

I  was  by  no  means  poor.  I  had  on  my  person  quite  a  sum 
of  money.  But  money  then  was  dangerous.  It  might  lure 


WHY  SHE  REFUSED  TO  MARRY.  93 

me  into  the  very  jaws  I  was  fleeing  from.  To  board  the  mid- 
night train  simply  meant  that  on  the  morrow  the  telegraph 
and  the  law  would  stay  my  journey.  To  procure  a  convey- 
ance and  ride  across  the  country  to  a  railroad  station  where 
none  knew  me,  or  my  boy,  or  my  story,  would  only  put  pur- 
suers on  my  track.  I  need  not  relate  that  night's  experience. 
I  refer  to  it  now  with  dread  and  horror.  I  found  kind  friends 
who  aided  me  and  my  boy  to  flee. 

One  afternoon  we  reached  the  village  of  Bradford,  then  a 
quiet,  secluded  little  settlement  in  the  great  teeming  West, 
where  I  felt  my  boy  was  safe.  I  changed  my  name  to  Matilda 
Winters.  It  was  my  grandmother's  name.  I  need  not  excuse 
that  act.  Before  my  God  I  feel  I  was  justified  in  doing  any- 
thing not  criminal,  that  would  prevent  being  robbed  of  my 
boy. 

My  life  here  is  familiar  to  you  and  the  good  people  of  this 
neighborhood.  I  have  sought  to  do  good  to  my  fellow-men 
and  fellow-women,  and  trust  that  when  I  am  dead  some  one 
will  have  cause  to  say  that  the  world  is  a  little  better  for  Aunt 
Matilda's  having  lived  in  it. 

I  had  not  been  living  among  my  good  neighbors  many 
months  before  I  discovered  that  the  farmers  were  not  prosper- 
ing as  they  ought,  that  instead  of  laying  up  money  for  their 
old  age  and  for  their  children,  many  of  them  were  running  in 
debt  and  mortgaging  their  homes.  I  found  the  farmers  were 
anything  but  drones,  they  were  always  at  work,  their  wives 
did  their  share  of  the  drudgery,  and  the  children  were  not  idle. 
The  land  was  rich  and  yielded  bountiful  crops.  The  stock 
thrived  and  ready  sales  were  found  for  the  surplus.  Why 
should  not  the  farmer  prosper?  Other  industries  were  in  a 
flourishing  condition.  The  farmers  alon-  -.obtained 

less  profits  from  their  investments,  not  counting  the  additional 
labor  they  performed,  than  were  realized  in  manufacturing, 
mining  and  transportation  business.  Why  was  this? 

My  investigations  led  me  to  the  conviction  that  the  cause 
was  the  unequal  and  unjust  taxation  imposed  on  the  farmers 
by  the  tariff  laws.  Providing  myself  with  facts  and  figures  I 
sought  to  open  the  eyes  of  the  farmers  to  the  robbery  of  which 


y4         THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

they  were  the  especial  victims.  In  this  good  work  you  have 
ably  assisted  me,  and  in  their  name  I  thank  you.  This  com- 
munity knows  the  nature  of  the  work  we  both  have  done.  I 
believe  we  have  sown  good  seed.  I  believe  the  farmers  in 
this  and  adjoining  neighborhoods,  are  beginning  to  see  that 
high  tariff  is  robbery,  not  robbing  all  occupations  alike,  but 
selecting  the  farmers  from  among  the  great  industries  of  the 
laud,  and  relieving  them  of  the  greater  share  of  their  earnings, 
and  putting  the  proceeds  into  the  pockets  of  those  who  oper- 
ate the  other  industries.  "We  have  time  and  again  proven  to 
the  farmer  that  he  is  being  taxed  into  bankruptcy  and  taxed  into 
the  grave.  Every  drop  of  sweat  that  trickles  down  his  cheeks 
stands  for  a  contribution,  larger  or  smaller,  to  the  owners  of 
industries  who  claim  they  can  not  prosper  without  such  con- 
tributions. No  one  contributes  anything  to  the  support  of  the 
farmer,  but  he  contributes  nearly  one-half  the  amount  he 
spends  for  the  necessaries  of  life,  to  make  richer  the  rich. 
He  will  not  always  submit  to  this  great  injustice,  he  will 
not  always  be  willing  to  increase  the  weight  of  his  own 
burdens,  simply  because  he  has  not  the  courage  to  break  away 
from  his  party  and  vote  for  men  to  make  the  laws  who  favor 
tariff  reduction.  He  is  fast  coming  to  the  conclusion,  with 
his  own  experience  to  convince  him,  that  a  high  tariff  for  pro- 
tection is  merely  a  legal  excuse  for  plundering  him  of  the 
greater  part  of  the  income  of  the  farm.  His  relief  will  come 
when  he  dare  say  he  is  ready  for  it.  The  remedy  for  all  the 
grievances  growing  out  of  the  tariff  for  protection,  is  in  his 
own  hands.  I  believe  he  is  about  ready  to  apply  it. 

But,  my  dear  friend,  I  have  digressed,  and  I  return  to  my 
story.  Four  years  passed  and  I  was  beginning  to  make  myself 
believe  that  my  hiding-place  would  never  be  discovered  by  the 
father  of  my  boy.  It  was  not  to  be  so. 

One  evening,  just  at  dusk,  my  darling  Henry  came  running 
into  the  house,  all  out  of  breath,  and  when  he  could  speak, 
he  told  of  meeting  a  stranger  who  had  asked  several  ques- 
tions about  his  mother,  and  had  bade  him  run  home  and  say 
that  Silas  Groundwig,  an  acquaintance  of  years  ago,  would 
call  at  once  to  see  me.  Ere  the  boy  had  finished  his  message, 


WHY   SHE   REFUSED  TO    MARRY.  95 

the  man  came.  I  remembered  too  well  that  name.  It  was  my 
husband,  the  father  of  my  boy.  My  heart  ceased  to  throb. 
At  least  I  thought  it  did.  When  the  hot  blood  ought  to  have 
coursed  through  my  veins  with  lightning  speed,  it  failed  to 
do  its  work,  and  I  stood  before  the  man  transfixed  with  horror, 
speechless,  but  fortunately  I  did  not  lose  my  consciousness. 

"  Well,  Madame,  this  is  a  rather  cold  reception  to  extend  to 
your  husband  after  the  long  chase  you  have  given  him." 

His  voice  brought  me  to  myself.  In  a  moment  I  gathered 
strength,  not  the  puny  strength  of  a  weak  woman,  but  the 
strength  of  a  giant.  The  blow  he  gave  me  years  before  on 
that  bed  of  pain,  seemed  to  be  inflicted  again,  and  again  it 
stung  me  to  the  heart.  I  looked  about  me  and  saw  we  were 
alone.  I  was  so  thankful  my  boy  had  returned  to  his  play. 
Cooly  and  calmly  as  I  write  these  words,  I  gazed  on  that  man. 
I  saw  he  was  a  wreck,  and  that  kind  of  a  wreck  which  is  all 
danger.  I  looked  him  straight  in  the  eye.  There  was  no 
hope  there.  His  lips  were  firmly  closed  though  livid  with  an 
ashen  line,  I  saw  the  color  come  and  go  in  his  face,  as  if  his 
brain  was  busy  with  the  past,  With  the  utmost  deliberation, 
and  with  a  boldness  that  chilled  me  through,  I  replied: 

"Sit  down,  sir." 

"  No,  I  prefer  to  stand." 

"  As  you  please,"  I  answered. 

"  Susan  Groundwig! " 

At  the  mention  of  that  name  I  started  as  though  he  had 
struck  me  and  my  boy  another  blow.  I  was  subdued  in  a 
I.  I  became  weak  and  meek  as  a  little  child.  All  my 
great  courage  had  gone  from  me.  I  was  helpless  and  power- 
less. I  felt  I  was  again  at  that  man's  mercy.  A  dread  of  a 
terrible  something  about  to  happen  unnerved  me,  and  I  waited 
with  breathless  anxiety  the  next  step  in  the  drama.  Was  it  to 
end  with  a  tragedy?" 

"Susan  Groundwig,"  and  again  I  started  at  the  sound  of 
that  name,  "you  do  not  answer.  Do  you  not  know  your 
name?  You  may  forget  it,  but  you  can  not  forget  you  are  my 
wife." 

"Silas  Groundwig,"  at  last  I  found  strength  and  courage 


96  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

to  say,  "you  have  no  right,  sir.  to  call  me  by  that  name. 
When  a  husband  strikes  his  wife  and  her  unborn  babe  a  bl./w 
with  intent  to  kill  both,  he  has  no  right,  God  given  or  mun- 
given,  to  ever  again  come  into  that  mother's  presence  and 
pollute  the  air  she  breathes  with  a  word  from  his  lips.  To 
save  my  child  from  your  merciless  clutches,  I  fled  from  my 
home.  To  all  I  held  dear  on  earth,  my  boy  and  I  bade  an 
eternal  farewell.  Mother's  grave,  father's  memory,  the  home 
of  my  childhood,  all,  everything,  I  fled  from,  to  escape  your 
threat  to  carry  off  my  child.  At  last  you  have  found  me. 
And  now,  Silas  Groundwig,  what  is  it  you  wish?  " 

For  more  than  a  minute,  which  seemed  an  hour,  he  stood 
before  me  and  answered  not  a  word.  He  was  pale  and  wlr're 
and  still  as  a  dead  man  right  from  the  grave.  Finally  t'je 
painful  stillness  was  broken  by  Groundwig  exclaiming: 

"Susan  Groundwig,  the  business  which  brought  me  hare 
can  be  easily  arranged  if  you  wish  it;  and  long  before  the 
clock  strikes  ten  I  can  be  on  my  way  out  of  your  presence  - 
as  my  presence  seems  so  hateful  to  you — never  again  to  return. 
It  is  for  you  to  say — not  for  me;  or  before  the  clock  shall 
strike  again,  I  can  signal  my  comrades,  who  are  hard  by  to 
seize  your  boy  and  take  him  forever  from  your  sight." 

"O!  my  God,  help  me,"  I  cried,  and  would  have  fallen  10 
the  floor  had  not  my  darling  boy  that  moment  opened  the 
door  and  entered  the  room.  In  as  unconcerned  a  manner  as 
possible  I  bade  him  go  to  his  chamber  and  retire  as  it  was  his 
bed-time.  He  saw  his  mother  was  in  trouble  and  he  hesitated. 
A  pleasant  look  reasured  him  and  he  passed  out  of  the  room 
and  up  the  stairs.  O!  if  he  could  only  have  fled.  If  he  could 
only  have  seen  the  danger  and  gone  out  into  the  world,  in  any 
direction,  anywhere,  I  would  rather  have  felt  that  he  was  a 
wanderer,  homeless  and  motherless,  and  that  I  could  have 
searched  for  him  with  the  hope  that  at  some  time  in  the  future 
I  would  find  him,  than  that  he  should  fall  into  that  man's 
power.  This  thought  caused  me  to  realize  my  situation,  and  I 
found  myself  trying  to  comprehend  the  meaning  of  the  words 
he  had  uttered.  He  will  depart — never  to  return — and  it  is  ror 
me  to  say  whether  he  shall  or  not?  What  can  he  mean?  So 
meditating  I  found  strength  to  say: 


WHY  SHE   REFUSED  TO   MARRY.  97 

"  Silas  Ground  wig;  what  is  it  you  seek?  " 

"Madame,  I  want  nothing  but  what  you  can  comply  with. 
I  am  poor;  I  am  an  outcast  in  the  world.  I  have  been  driven 
to  desperate  deeds  to  make  the  world  give  me  a  living.  I  am 
at  the  mercy  of  worse  outlaws  than  myself.  They  have  come 
hither  at  my  bidding  to  obtain  money.  You  shrink  back. 
But  money  will  satisfy  them,  and  money  will  satisfy  me;  you 
have  money  here  in  this  house.  I  know  what  you  brought 
with  you.  I  know  what  your  agent  has  sent  you  as  the  pro- 
ceeds of  the  sale  of  your  father's  property.  I  know  of  your 
dealings  with  your  neighbors,  and  I  want  and  must  have  five 
thousand  dollars!  I  do  not  care  to  argue  the  matter.  I  see 
by  the  horror  pictured  on  your  face  that  you  are  shocked  at 
my  proposition,  and  hence  you  understand  it.  So  be  it;  you 
are  a  truthful  woman;  you  will  not  deny  having  that  amount 
of  money,  because  you  dare  not  lie.  It  will  count  nothing  for 
you  to  claim  that  a  portion  of  the  money  in  your  possession 
is  the  savings  of  your  neighbors,  who  have  left  it  in  your  care 
for  safe  keeping.  It  will  avail  nothing  to  plead  that  you  can 
not  give  me  other  people's  money,  but  will  give  me  your  own. 
It  is  useless  to  say  that  to  comply  with -my  request  you  make 
yourself  and  your  boy  beggars,  and,  in  the  opinion  of  your 
neighbors,  yourself  a  thief.  I  care  nothing  for  such  pleas. 
Neither  do  my  comrades  outside;  whose  mutterings  you  can 
hear  this  moment.  There  is  no  tit  le  to  lose.  I  must  signal 
them  to  come  in  for  money  or  your  boy.  They  have  been 
promised  one  or  the  other." 

"\Vhcre  now  was  my  God  that  He  didn't  strike  that  wretch 
dead  as  lie  stood  there,  with  such  words  on  his  lips?  I  am  to 
rob  myself,  rob  my  boy,  rob  my  friends  and  go  forth  on  the 
morrow  a  beggar  and  a  thief,  and  for  what?  Heavens!  to  save 
my  child!  Can  I  longer  hesitate?  Money,  honor,  reputation 
— everything  I  have  in  the  world  must  gp  if  my  boy  would 
stay.  My  head  grew  dizzy.  The  room  was  whirling  round. 
I  felt  I  must  not  lose  my  consciousness,  or  my  boy  was  lost. 
I  involuntarily  led  the  way  to  my  bedroom.  Ho  followed  me. 
I  took  from  its  hiding-place  a  key.  I  unlocked  my  writing 
desk.  I  touched  a  secret  spring  in  a  drawer.  I  pointed  to 

7 


98  THE   MOETGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

the  exposed  money.  Not  a  word  is  said .  He  seizes  the  roll 
of  bank  bills,  gives  me  a  demoniac  look,  which  came  to  me 
afterward  in  my  dreams  time  and  time  again,  and  then  he 
passed  through  the  open  door  and  out  into  the  darkness  of  the 
night,  leaving  me  in  the  darkness  of  despair,  in  woe  and 
gloom  unfathomable. 

I  must  have  swooned,  because  I  knew  nothing  more  until  I 
was  aroused  by  my  boy  frantically  calling  upon  me  to  speak 
to  him,  and  in  the  next  breath  telling  me,  in  the  most  excited 
manner,  that  we  were  robbed! 

Robbed?  By  whom?  Robbed!  Was  there  not  in  this  one 
word  the  way  to  escape  from  the  charge  of  stealing  the  hard 
earnings  of  my  neighbors — the  savings  they  had  so  confidently 
entrusted  to  my  keeping,  having  faith  in  my  honesty  and  in- 
tegrity? "Why  not  go  out  into  the  neighborhood  and  proclaim 
that  burglars  had  broken  into  my  house  and  robbed  me  of  my 
treasure?  No!  My  treasure  was  left  me.  My  boy  stood 
before  me.  The  money  was  gone,  but,  God  be  thanked,  my 
treasure  was  clinging  to  his  mother's  neck. 

Why  not  tell  my  neighbors  that  their  money  and  mine  was 
stolen,  and  I  was  a  beggar?  No!  I  could  not  tell  that 
story,  because  it  was  not  true.  I  had  invited  that  man  into 
my  room.  I  had  opened  the  secret  drawer.  I  had  pointed 
out  the  money.  I  had  motioned  him  to  take  it  and  flee.  That 
was  not  robbery;  that  was — O,  heavens!  what  was  it?  What 
crime  had  been  committed,  and  who  committed  it?  Was  I  a 
criminal  for  consenting  that  my  husband  should  carry  away 
other  people's  money?  Why  was  I  not  the  criminal?  I  held 
the  money  as  a  sacred  trust  for  others.  I  had  violated  that 
trust  by  permitting  another  to  take  that  money.  Why  did  I 
violate  that  trust?  Ah,  I  see.  Now  comes  my  better  angel  to 
again  sit  in  judgment  on  my  conduct.  I  gave  the  wealth  of 
others  and  all  I  had  of  my  own  that  my  boy  might  be  spared 
me — that  he  might  not  be  stolen  from  me.  Was  that  a  sin 
known  to  God?  Was  that  a  crime  known  to  men?  Will  that 
angel  condemn  me? 

But  hold!  Go  not  from  me,  blessed  comforter;  you  have 
helped  me  for  my  sake,  now  help  ine  for  others'  sake.  I  know 


WHY  SHE   REFUSED  TO  MARRY.  99 

I  am  innocent  of  any  crime.  How  shall  T  impress  that  inno- 
cence upon  those  who  trusted  me  -with  tlirir  treasure?  How 
can  they  be  made  to  believe  that  I  gave  their  money  to  save 
my  child?  And  even  were  they  to  believe  my  story,  would 
they  justify  me  in  sacrificing  their  savings  for  such  an  object? 
It  was  my  child — not  theirs.  I  do  them  wrong.  Some  of 
them  are  mothers,  and  all  of  them  have  hearts.  They  have 
trusted  me,  lo!  these  many  years.  They  will  not  forsake  me 
now!  God  be  thanked  that  I  know  they  will  not. 

Still  how  can  I  tell  my  neighbors  all  the  circumstances 
which  led  up  to  the  loss  of  the  money.  While  I  have  never 
said  I  had  no  husband,  yet  my  silence  at  times  must  have  led 
my  friends  to  think  my  husband  was  dead.  To  now  con- 
fess he  lived  and  hud  threatened  to  steal  my  boy,  required 
more  nerve  and  more  courage  than  I  possessed.  I  began  to 
reproach  my  heavenly  Father  for  forsaking  me  in  my  sorest 
need.  Had  He  not  promised  to  relieve  "the  fatherless  and 
widow  ?  "  I  forget.  I  am  not  a  widow.  My  b«y  is  not  fath- 
erless. But  worse — a  thousand  fold  worse — am  land  my  boy. 
What  can  I  do  ?  What  is  it  my  duty  to  do  ?  If  I  could  only 
see  my  duty  as  God  sees  it,  I  would  do  it,  let  results  be 
what  they  may.  There  comes  my  boy  from  school  now.  I 
must  dry  these  tears.  There  must  be  no  tears  for  my  loved 
boy  to  kiss  away  from  his  mother's  cheeks.  He  seems  excited 
and  is  out  of  breath.  He  sees  me  through  the  window.  He 
is  waving  a  letter.  Another  moment  and  he  bounds  into  the 
room,  and  throwing  a  sealed  envelope  in  my  lap,  fairly  shouts 
to  me  to  open  it  and  read  the  letter  quick,  because  the  post- 
master says  he  has  just  received  a  dispatch,  asking  him  to 
deliver  the  letter  to  meat  once  and  have  me  telegraph  an 
answer.  There  comes  the  postmaster  up  the  lane  now.  Open 
it,  mother  ;  read  it,  read  it  quick.  I  looked  at  the  boy  in 
amazement.  A  dispatch.  A  letter.  An  answer  must  be 
telegraphed  quick.  What  does  it  mean?  More  trouble?  Is 
not  my  cup  full?  Is  there  room  in  this  fast-throbbing  heart 
for  more  sorrow?  Can  there  be  any  more  tears  in  these  weary 
eyes?  Mechanically  I  tear  open  the  envelope.  The  letter  is 
from  my  New  England  home.  I  care  not  for  the  date.  ' '  Dear 


100  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

madam"  a're  idle  words.  A  piece  of  paper  drops  upon  the  floor. 
My  boy  picks  it  up  and  holds  it  before  me  as  I  read: 

Enclosed  you  will  find  a  draft  on  the  Bank  of  Commerce,  city  cif 
New  York,  for  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars,  payable— [my 
eyes  fail  me.  I  can  read  no  further.  There  is  plenty  of  room  now 
for  tears.  The  mist  grows  thicker.  The  postmaster  begs  pardon 
for  obtruding  upon  my  privacy  at  such  a  time,  but  says  it  is  impor- 
tant that  he  telegraph  my  answer  at  once.  I  hand  him  the  letter 
and  ask  him  to  finish  reading  it.  He  reads:]— to  3'our  order.  In  re- 
organizing the  Nanticoke  Woolen  Mill  Company  there  is  a  scramble 
going  on  for  shares.  In  searching  for  the  several  shareholders  it 
has  been  discovered  that  the  assignment  by  your  father  of  the  forty 
shares  owned  by  him  to  your  former  husband,  is  not  only  irregularly 
entered  on  the  transfer  books,  but  is  a  forgery.  The  company  at 
once  repaid  the  dividends,  amounting  to  three  thousand  dollars, 
and  that  amount  T  herewith  remit  you  by  enclosed  draft.  To  enable 
the  friends  of  your  lamented  father  to  obtain,  a  majority  of  the 
shares  in  order  to  control  the  property  and  take  it  from  those  who 
are  trying  to  depreciate  its  value  by  bad  management,  so  they  can 
buy  the  stock  for  much  less  than  its  real  value,  I  can  sell  the  forty 
shares  which  were  your  father's,  and  which  are  now  yours,  for  five 
thousand  dollars.  As  the  election  of  directors  will  be  held  on  the 
21st  instant  a  speedy  answer,  and  by  telegraph,  is  necessary.  I 
advise  you  to  sell,  Truly  yours, 

SAMUEL  EDMONSON. 

It  required  but  a  moment  for  me  to  conclude  what  I  would 
do.  Mr.  Edmonson  had  proved  himself  honest  and  faithful  to 
my  interests.  I  could  trust  him  now.  My  answer  went  quick. 
"I  accept"  In  a  few  days  another  draft  came,  and  my  faith  ?n 
that  divinity  which  doeth  all  things  well  was  restored,  ar-d 
from  the  most  miserable  of  beings  I  became  the  happiest. 

Thus  you  see,  my  kind  friend,  that  the  answer  I  gave  you 
when  you  asked  my  hand  in  marriage,  the  answer  you  thought 
so  cruel  and  heartless,  was  the  only  one  I  could  give  you.  I 
know  the  courts  are  open  for  me  to  apply  for  a  severance  of 
the  marriage  bonds.  Cut  I  can  never  consent  to  do  an  act  that 
will  serve  to  withdraw  from  me,  in  the  least  degree,  the  good 
opinion  and  warm  regard  of  my  neighbors.  Your  friend, 

MATILDA  WINTERS. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

LOVERS   ON   THE   LAKE —KIDNAPED. 

What  more  charming  or  fascinating  time  and  place 
for  lovers  than  an  evening  on  such  acraft,  on  so  beau- 
tiful a  lake.  The  month  of  August  has  fairly  entered 
on  its  second  week.  The  slowly  lengthening  twilight 
brings  with  it  myriads  of  'objects  to  see  and  hear. 
The  long  shadows  of  bluff  and  trees,  which  have 
darkened  the  water  in  big  spots,  seem  to  have  spread 
until  they  cover  all  the  lake,  and  it  is  all  shadows 
now  or  no  shadows,  just  as  fancy  pictures.  The 
fields  are  full  of  flowers,  and  the  forests  are  full  of 
birds.  The  katy-did  is  whistling  its  monotonous 
Dotes,  closing  with  a  low  trill  attempting  the  difficult 
frat  of  singing  in  a  whisper,  and  perched  on  distant 
f»*nce-posts  the  mated  quails,  claiming  the  weather 
prophet's  skill,  are  announcing  the  prospect  of  "more 
wet."  The  prairie  chicken  drums  and  drums,  and 
fancies  the  noise  a  song,  while  the  cooing  doves, 
visiting  in  pairs,  make  most  plaintive  wailings,  as 
though  mourning  and  loving  were  to  them  the  same. 
The  owl,  awakening  from  his  all-day  sleep,  stretches 
out  his  neck  from  beneath  his  wings  and  hoots  a 
warning  to  his  prey.  The  golden-rod,  the  wild  sun- 
flower, the  broad  expanse  of  pr.urie  blossoms  fresli 
from  their  sun-bath?,  nod  in  the  gentlest  of  gentle 
breezes,  and  open  their  invisible  mouths  tocafch  the 
dews  of  the  night.  The  beautiful  daisy  and  the  pretty 

101 


102  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

morning  glory  have  gone  to  sleep  until  the  rising  sun 
shall  bid  them  awake.  The  whippoorwill  sits  on  the 
dead  branch  of  an  old  oak  near  the  water's  edge,  and 
tells  all  the  world  within  hearing  that  he  is  a  whip- 
poorwill and  must  be  listened  to.  The  blue  bird  and 
the  wren  hop  from  limb  to  limb,  twitter  and  chatter, 
and  go  to  sleep  chattering.  The  cows,  with  quick- 
ened pace,  move  in  single  file  along  the  narrow  path 
by  the  side  of  the  bluff,  chewing  their  cud,  looking 
so  demurely  out  of  their  great,  brown  eyes,  bowing 
familiai'ly  to  every  bush  and  shrub,  hastening  to 
reach  home  before  night-fall.  On  the  brow  of  yon- 
der bluff,  where  the  rays  of  the  sun  are  lingering  and 
departing,  it  is  said  an  Indian  maiden  threw 
herself  into  the  waters  below  rather  than  wed  against 
her  will. 

The  sky,  too,  is  full  of  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and 
lovers  are  both  deaf  and  blind  if  they  find  no  time 
for  silent  admiration  of  such  grandeur.  Yonder, 
almost  in  the  zenith,  is  Jupiter,  shining  so  brightly 
and  looking  so  proud  because  he  is  the  king  of  the 
heavens  even  for  a  brief  hour,  and  over  in  the  eastern 
sky  is  Cassiopeia,  queen  of  matchless  beauty,  and  as 
if  admiring  the  milky  way  the  beautiful  Cygnus  with 
outstretched  wings  looks  every  inch  a  swan,  and  now 
the  great,  round,  red  moon  breaks  the  horizon  and 
climbs  majestically  up  the  clear  sky,  and  the  big, 
bright  stars  and  the  dim  little  ones,  all  hide  their 
heads,  and  even  Jupiter  himself  fades  away,  and  the 
shadows  come  again  and  cover  the  borders  of  the 
lake  with  phantoms  of  various  shapes  affording  the 
imagination  an  easy  opportunity  to  fancy  any  image 


LOVERS   OX   THE    LAKE.  103 

the  brain  can  design  or  desire.  Light  breezes  sigh 
mournfully  through  the  trees,  and  joining  high  up 
above  the  waters  of  the  lake,  the  winds  that  swept 
from  the  distant  prairie,  seem  like  dismal  murmur- 
ings  and  harsh  mutterings  coming  from  human 
voices  among  the  clouds;  or  it  may  be  these  strange, 
weird  noises  are  voices  of  spirits  from  the  tombs  of 
the  mound-builders  holding  converse  with  the  spirits 
from  the  graves  of  the  long-buried  Indians.  These 
mysterious  noises  come  with  the  darkness,  and  go  only 
with  the  light  of  the  morning. 

The  moon  is  now  well  on  its  journey  across  the 
sky^—  The  fields  and  river  and  lake  and  farm  houses 
are  as  plainly  visible  as  at  noonday.  The  symmetri- 
cal stacks  of  grain  stand  out  boldly  as  if  saying  "  we 
are  the  staff  of  life  for  man  and  beast."  The  hay  has 
been  harvested  and  the  long  racks  mean  that  well-fed 
cattle  shall  reward  the  husbandman  for  his  labor. 
The  fields  and  meadows  have  been  shorn  of  their 
wealth  of  food,  except  the  broad  acres  of  Indian  corn 
whose  luxuriant  growth  makes  the  farmer  smile  as  he 
dreams  of  fat  herds  and  a  fat  purse.  That  snapping, 
crackling,  rustling  noise  which  is  the  only  sound  that 
breaks  upon  the  stillness  of  the  night,  is  the  growing 
corn.  It  is  pushing,  driving  and  crowding  itself  out 
of  the  silken  tassel  into  the  ear,  returning  to  the 
ploughman  sixty  and  even  ninety  fold  of  increase, 
the  reward  promised  him  for  his  labor  and  his  faith. 

The  lights  in  the  farm  houses  have  long  since  been 
extinguished.  The  stillness  of  the  night  becomes 
oppressive.  Strange  that 'the  bosom  of  the  lake 
should  be  undisturbed  by  even  a  ripple,  while  high 


104  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

up  in  the  sky  the  elements  should  be  at  war.  The 
herdman's  dog  gives  out  an  occasional  bark  to  let 
his  master  know  he  is  an  honest  dog.  Now  and  then 
a  dismal  howl,  though  in  perfect  concert,  comes  from 
a  pack  of  wolves  that  have  ventured  from  their  den 
to  seek  plunder  for  themselves  and  sucklings.  Save 
these  infrequent  disturbers  of  nature's  stillness,  and 
the  ever  present  commingling  of  those  supernal 
voices  in  the  upper  air,  all  over  the  broad  surface  of 
the  lake,  and  all  over  the  fields  and  through  the  for- 
ests, as  far  as  eye  can  see  or  ear  can  hear,  there 
reigns  the  quiet  of  the  churchyard  at  the  midnight 
hour. 

Some  people  would  think  it  was  no  time  nor  place 
for  youth  and  maiden  of  flesh  and  blood  to  talk  of 
love.  But  lovers  are  on  the  lake — Henry  and  Mary 
are  there — and  they  have  been  telling  over  and  over 
again  the  story  of  their  love.  Of  all  this  chapter 
recounts,  not  a  thing  have  they  seen  or  heard.  Mary 
has  appeared  unusually  melancholy,  perhaps  because 
this  was  their  first  meeting  on  the  lake  since  her 
father's  death.  As  if  to  change  the  subject  of  her 
thoughts,  Henry  had  taken  from  a  small  plush  box, 
which  he  carried  in  his  hand,  a  mass  of  trinkets 
and  a  bundle  of  letters,  and  was  telling  the  lovely 
creature  that  wrote  them  the  contents  of  each,  that 
she  might  have  another  test  of  his  love.  This  pleas- 
ing task  finished,  the  trinkets  and  letters  Avere 
replaced  in  the  bundle,  and  Mary,  taking  a  piece  of 
blue  ribbon  from  her  hair,  tied  the  package  securely 
and  returned  it  to  her  lover,  who  carefully  deposited 
it  in  the  box.  Then,  aware  of  the  lateness  of  the 


EIDXAPED.  105 

hour,  Henry  fitted  an  oar  between  the  skulling  pins 
and  quickly  skulled  the  boat  to  its  usual  landing 
place. 

Arm  in  arm  they  wend  their  way  slowly  to  Mary's 
home.  The  good-byes  are  said,  but  leave-taking  seems 
to  be  fraught  with  feelings  of  sadness  on  the  part  of 
both. 

Can  it  be  the  weird  and  ghostly  night  on  the  lake 
has  made  their  hearts  heavy  and  cast  a  gloom  over  a 
farewell  which  is  only  for  a  day?  Or  did  they  each 
s*e,  and  dare  not  tell  the  other  of  what  they  saw,  the 
shadows  of  men  who  thought  themselves  hidden 
behind  the  shade  trees  that  lined  the  lane?  Did  the 
presence  of  those  men  in  such  hiding  places,  at  such 
a  time,  betoken  harm  to  the  lovers?  If  either 
thought  so  neither  betrayed  the  thought  by  word  or 
look.  A  pressure  of  the  hand,  a  loving  kiss,  a  trem- 
bling "good  night,"  and  the  lovers  parted,  not  for  a 
day  as  each  fondly  believed,  but  for  years.  Years 
full  of  sorrow  and  sadness — years  full  of  gloom  and 
death. 

Mary  lingered  on  the  threshold  of  the  door  and  by 
the  light  of  the  bright  moon  saw  her  lover  disappear 
into  the  little  grove  which  grew  between  the  two 
farms.  It  was  only  a  few  rods  then  to  his  home,  and 
he  surely  must  reach  it  in  safety.  Why  not?  Noth- 
ing yet  had  harmed  him  and  why  should  she  think 
there  was  danger  in  his  pathway  now?  Striving  hard 
to  throw  off  a  nervousness  which  seemed  to  press 
upon  her  heart,  she  shut  the  door  and  retired  to  her 
akamber. 

Henry  had  gone  but  a  short  distance  in  the  grove 


106         THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

when  two  stout  men  bounded  from  behind  the  trees, 
and,  quicker  than  it  takes  the  pen  to  tell  it,  they 
grappled  with  him,  forced  a  gag  into  his  mouth, 
pinioned  his  arms  behind  him,  and  then  noiselessly 
hurried  him  through  the  grove,  past  his  home  where 
he  could  see  the  light  in  the  window,  then  across  the 
fields  to  the  road  where  a  wagon  and  two  horses  were 
in  waiting.  Henry  was  made  to  take  a  seat  in  the 
vehicle,  and  one  of  the  kidnapers  sat  by  his  side, 
and  the  other  caught  up  the  reins  and  drove  slowly 
towards  the  east.  He  was  informed  if  he  kept  quiet 
and  made  no  efforts  to  escape,  nor  sought  in  any  way 
to  give  an  alarm,  and  would  promise  not  to  attempt 
to  communicate  with  any  person,  the  gag  would  be 
removed  and  his  arms  unpinioned.  Believing  his 
only  hope  for  escape  was  by  obtaining  as  much  free- 
dom as  possible,  Henry  made  the  promise.  He  was 
told  he  would  not  be  harmed  if  he  was  submissive 
and  went  quietly  with  them  wherever  they  desired, 
but  at  the  first  attempt  to  break  away  or  to  cry  out 
for  help,  or  by  look  or  sign  to  attract  the  attention 
of  any  person  they  should  meet  on  the  road,  or  in 
cars  or  on  boats,  he  would  be  shot,  let  the  conse- 
quences to  them  be  what  they  might.  They  would 
take  all  the  risks. 

Henry  realized  that  he  was  in  the  hands  of  des- 
perate outlaws.  Why  he  was  in  their  hands  and 
what  was  to  be  done  with  him  was  a  mystery  so  cun- 
ningly planned  that  not  a  thread  was  exposed  that 
would  aid  him  in  unraveling  it.  Perhaps  they  had 
mistaken  him  for  another,  and  when  the  mistake 
was  discovered,  they  would  let  him  go.  To  all  his 
inquiries  his  keepers  gruffly  refuged  to  answer  a 


KIDNAPED.  107 

word.  So  Henry  concluded  it  would  be  wise  to 
acquiesce  in  their  wishes  and  make  no  outcry. 

After  a  day  and  night's  ride,  a  halt  was  made  in  a 
dense  forest,  and  Henry  was  led  to  a  large  dugout  in 
the  side  of  a  hill,  and  compelled  to  take  up  his 
abode  there.  From  time  to  time  he  overheard 
enough  of  the  conversation  which  passed  between 
two  of  the  men  to  learn  that  it  was  the  desire  of  the 
third,  who  seldom  showed  himself,  to  keep  the 
young  man  a  prisoner  until  the  accomplishment  of 
a  certain  purpose,  but  what  that  purpose  was-Henry 
could  not  obtain  the  least  intimation.  One  day  the 
third  man  brought  a  sum  of  money,  which  he 
divided  between  the  two  jailers.  Hardly  had  the 
man  disappeared,  before  his  two  associates  were 
planning  how  to  get  rid  of  their  charge  without 
the  knowledge  of  their  companion.  It  was  finally 
agreed  they  would  take  him  to  New  York  and 
ship  him  as  a  deckhand  on  some  vessel  bound  for  a 
distant  foreign  shore.  They  would  thus  get  rid  of 
their  prisoner  without  further  trouble  to  them,  and, 
as  far  as  concealing  him  from  his  pursuers  was  con- 
cerned, their  plan  was  a  better  one  than  to  keep 
guard  over  him  in  the  cave;  and  they  could  not  see 
why  the  purpose  of  his  imprisonment  might  not  be 
just  as  well  attained. 

To  suggest  was  to  act.  In  another  hour  the  team 
was  ready,  and  the  three  started  on  their  journey. 
Reaching  a  lake  port,  they  embarked  on  board  a 
sailing  vessel  loaded  with  grain.  The  lake  trip  con- 
sumed several  days,  and  then  a  night's  ride  and  part 
of  the  next  day  on  the  cars,  brought  the  party  to  the 
city  of  New  York. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

ON  THE    OCEAN  —  DANGEROUS   RESEMBLANCE. 

The  same  afternoon  the  party  reached  New  York, 
Henry  was  conveyed  on  board  a  vessel  about  to  sail 
for  the  East  Indies.  For  several  days  he  had  been 
in  a  dazed  condition,  as  though  partially  under  the 
influence  of  opiates.  His  ambition  had  deserted 
him.  He  took  everything  as  a  matter  of  course,  and 
did  not  care  whether  the  outcome  was  life  or  death. 
He  was  content  with  all  his  surroundings,  and  did  not 
possess  the  courage  to  protest  against  anything  his 
jailers  did.  So  when  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
steward  of  the  vessel,  he  felt  as  though  he  was  going 
on  a  pleasure  voyage,  and  his  kidnapers  were  doing 
him  a  kind  service  by  giving  him  an  opportunity  to 
travel  and  see  the  world. 

On  the  morrow  all  was  changed.  The  vessel  was 
far  out  at  sea.  Henry  awoke  as  if  from  a  long  sleep. 
He  began  to  recall  the  scenes  and  events  which  led 
up  to  his  being  put  on  board  ship.  All  his  keen 
senses  had  returned.  The  steward  noticed  his  dis- 
turbed look,  and  asked  him  if  he  could  serve  him  in 
any  way.  From  the  steward  he  learned  that  the 
master  of  the  vessel  was  informed  by  the  men  who 
accompanied  Henry  on  board,  that  he  was  wild  and 
ungovernable,  having  a  disposition  to  commit  crime, 
and  to  keep  him  from  evil  company  that  was  leading 
him  to  the  gallows,  his  parents  had  deemed  it  best  to 
send  him  on  a  long  sea  voyage. 

108 


OX  THE   OCEAN.  109 

The  mystery  grew.  He  could  not  even  conjure  up 
a  suspicion  that  would  help  him  solve  it.  The  more 
he  pondered  over  the  strange  and  bold  proceedings, 
;  or  the  mystery.  Could  he  only  have  writ- 
ten a  line  to  his  mother  or  to  Mary,  he  would  have 
:  more  reconciled  to  the  long  journey  before  him. 
The  assault,  the  capture  and  the  flight  had  been 
done  so  noiselessly,  and  the  wicked  scheme  had  been 
carried  out  so  adroitly,  that  the  neighborhood  would 
never  know,  except  as  he  should  live  to  return  and 
tell  the  story,  who  had  done  it.  He  knew  the  whole 
region  would  be  aroused  and  search  made  for  him, 
that  the  time  would  come  when  he  would  be 
given  up  as  dead,  and  the  two  beings  on  all  the  earth 
he  loved  the  best  and  most  might  themselves  go 
down  to  their  graves  weepiiigand  mourning  because 
he  returned  no  more  to  his  home. 

Such  reflections  nrust  be  abandoned.  The  right  to 
hope  for  freedom  was  at  least  left  him.  Resisting 
the  rush  of  gloomy  forebodings,  which  were  tugging 
at  his  brain,  he  determined  to  brood  no  more  over 
the  great  outr 

On  his  first  appearance  among  his  ship-mates 
Henry  attracted  the  attention  of  all  the  officers  of  the 
vessel.  Instead  of  being  sullenly  disposed  or  ill-tem- 
pered or  ill-natured,  as  those  who  were  knowing  of 
the  alleged  reasons  for  his  being  put  on  board  ship 
expected,  they  found  him  courteous,  pleasant  and 
agreeable.  He  soon  became  the  favorite  of  all  on 
board — not  only  of  the  officers  and  the  few  passengers, 
but  of  the  crew.  The  Captain  at  once  conceived  a 
liking  for  the  lad,  and  one  day,  calling  him  into  his 


110        THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

office,  asked  him  if  he  would  like  to  keep  the  ship's 
records.  It  did  not  take  him  long  to  make  up  his 
mind  to  accept  the  offer,  adding  that  he  was  pre- 
pared to  make  himself  useful  in  any  place  he  might 
be  put. 

His  work  was  light,  but  it  was  labor  requiring  care 
and  thoughtfulness,  and  close  attention,  and  so  well 
did  he  look  after  the  duties  assigned  him  that  the 
Captain  became  much  attached  to  him.  So  that 
long  before  the  voyage  ended,  the  Captain  had  not 
only  heard  the  young  man's  story,  but  believed  it, 
and  while  he  had  especial  instructions  not  to  permit 
Henry  to  return  with  him,  but  to  send  him  far  into 
the  interior  of  the  India  country,  he  had  long  since 
come  to  the  conclusion  not  only  to  take  him  back, 
but  to  leave  no  stone  unturned  to  discover  the  villians 
that  had  done  the  kidnaping,  and  learn  the  cause  of 
the  outrage.  At  the  first  port  reached,  Henry  mailed 
letters  to  his  mother  and  Mary,  giving  a  full  account 
of  all  that  had  happened  to  him.  Theletters  were  never 
received.  It  may  be  that  the  gold  slipped  into  the 
hand  of  one  of  the  sailors,  by  one  of  the  kidnapers, 
as  the  vessel  was  unfurling  its  sails  in  the  harbor  of 
New  York,  had  much  to  do  with  those  letters  going 
astray,  or  not  going  at  all. 

While  in  Calcutta  familiarizing  himself  with  the 
sights  in  that  wonderful  city,  he  is  hailed  by  an 
American  and  asked  how  it  happened  he  had  returned 
so  soon  from  Darjeeling.  The  lad  could  not  conceal 
his  surprise  at  being  approached  by  a  stranger,  and 
promptly  replied  that  he  had  never  been  in  the  city 
mentioned,  and  was  not  aware  that  he  had  ever  met 


ON   THE   OCEAH.  Ill 

the  stranger  before.  "What,  is  not  your  name 
Charles  Manning,  and  was  you  not  my  messmate  on 
the  voyage  here,  and  did  I  not  leave  you  a  week  since 
at  Darjeeling,  and  did  you  not  make  an  engagement 
to  meet  me  here  next  Monday?  Why  so  silent?  "What 
does  it  mean?  Explain,  my  dear  sir.  It  is  not  possi- 
ble for  me  to  he  mistaken." 

"I  assure  you,"  replied  Henry,  having  in  mind 
his  strange  adventure  in  America,  "I  never  saw  you 
before  in  my  life.  Months  ago  I  sailed  from  New 
York  on  the  good  vessel,  '  Lucky  Star/ Captain  Bod- 
fish,  Master,  and  I  landed  here  only  yesterday.  Am 
I  to  infer  this  is  a  case  of  mistaken  identity,  or  to 
what  am  I  to  attribute  this  mauner  of  accosting  me 
by  an  entire  stranger?" 

The  stranger  did  not  seem  unfriendly.  Henry, 
apparently  in  doubt,  was  at  a  loss  to  understand  how 
such  a  blunder  could  have  been  made.  The  stranger 
had  evidently  been  associated  with  a  person  who 
closely  resembled  Plenry  Winters.  It  was  with  reluc- 
tance that  he  admitted  he  was  mistaken.  But  upon 
being  assured  by  Henry  that  he  would  remain  ofl 
board  the  Lucky  Star  for  several  weeks,  the  stranger 
asked  the  privilege  of  bringing  his.  messmate  with 
him  to  the  vessel,  and  let  the  two  who  looked  so 
much  alike  meet  face  to  face. 

In  a  few  days  the  meeting  took  place.  Captain 
Bod  fish  declared  the  faces,  general  appearance  and 
movements  of  the  young  men  were  strikingly  alike. 
He  had  never  seen  two  persons  who  so  closely 
resembled  each  other.  The  size,  weight,  build,  com- 
plexion, color  of  hair,  voice,  walk,  manner,  and,  in 


112  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

fact,  all  that  was  characteristic  in  men,  were  alike  fn 
both.  Both  were  born  in  New  England,  neither 
knew  anything  of  a  father,  and  only  Henry  knew 
anything  of  a  mother.  But  they  at  once  took  a  lik- 
ing for  each  other,  and  during  the  remainder  of  the 
time  the  Luck)'  Star  was  in  port,  they  were  insepar- 
able. Captain  Bodfish  consented  that  the  new-found 
acquaintance  might  sail  with  him  on  his  home-bound 
trip,  and  the  Captain  gave  both  light  employment. 
There  was  but  little  work  to  do,  which  gave  the 
young  men  ample  time  to  read  such  books  as  were 
contained  in  the  vessel's  library,  and  learn  the  his- 
tory of  each  other's  lives.  Together  they  read  the 
same  stories  and  discussed  the  writings  of  the  same 
authors.  They  talked  of  the  land  which  gave  them 
birth,  and,  in  fact,  they  were  lost  unless  in  each 
other's  company.  But  Henry  was  the  most  com- 
municative. He  had  a  story  of  love  to  tell,  and  in 
Charles  Manning  an  eager  listener  was  found.  H«s 
heart  was  free.  He  had  been  a  wanderer,  and  not  H 
lover.  But  when  the  tales  of  love,  as  experienced  >y 
Henry,  were  told,  Charles  became  a  lover,  too.  Every 
word  about  love  that  fell  from  Henry's  lips  was  treas- 
ured up  as  a  priceless  gem.  Every  imaginable  question 
was  asked  of  matters  that  would  give  Henry  an  excuse 
to  talk  of  his  home,  his  mother,  his  Mary  and  the 
people  of  the  neighborhood.  All  the  incidents,  triv- 
ial or  otherwise,  of  which  he  had  been  a  party,  and 
especially  those  that  Mary  was  knowing  to,  were  dis- 
cussed over  and  over  again.  The  walks  in  the  wood?, 
the  boat  rides  on  the  lake,  the  remarkable  sunsets, 
the  school  days  and  boyhood  pranks,  the  full  story  of 


ON  THE   OCEAN.  113 

the  scenes  and  events  which  led  up  to  their  plighted 
troth;  the  spot  was  described  where  Cupid  met  them 
and  hurled  the  darts  which  pierced  both  their  hearts, 
and  all  the  tales  of  love  were  not  only  told  twice  over, 
but  as  Henry  never  tired  of  telling  them  again  and 
again,  so  Charles  never  tired  of  being  a  most  atten- 
tive listener.  All  the  neighborhood  gossip  of  years 
was  run  over  by  Henry,  and  the  charming  valley  was 
so  eloquently  and  minutely  portrayed,  and  the  names 
of  the  people  of  the  settlement — the  men,  women 
and  children — so  often  mentioned,  and  scenes  of  any 
moment  or  interest  in  which  they  participated,  so 
frequently  described,  that  Charles  became  as  familiar 
with  everything  that  had  happened  in  the  village 
from  the  day  Henry  and  his  mother  alighted  from 
the  cars,  to  the  time  when  the  lad  disappeared,  as 
was  Henry  himself. 

From  time  to  time  the  gifts  which  Mary  had  made 
to  her  lover,  were  brought  out  from  their  sacred  and 
secret  hiding  place  and  the  giver  idolized.  Each 
little  trinket  and  each  gem  or  jewel  had  a  history, 
and  Henry  never  tired  of  telling  every  incident,  no 
matter  how  trivial,  connected  with  the  gift.  There 
were  many  amusing  stories  to  tell  and  many  hair- 
breadth escapes  to  describe.  That  chain  was  made 
of  the  down  of  the  ducks  that  Mary  raised  and  the 
little  circle  of  faded  hair  was  found  in  Henry's  hand 
after  he  had  risked  his  life  to  save  Mary  from  drown- 
ing. There  were  pretty  little  charms  to  show  and 
grow  eloquent  over  in  describing  and  explaining  the 
circumstances  connected  with  their  giving,  and  there 
were  rings  and  pins  and  photographs  of  Henry's 


114  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

mother  and  several  of  the  neighbors,  and  when  the 
intimacy  had  ripened  into  devotion  akin  to  love, 
Henry  brought  out  a  bundle  of  letters,  tied  with 
what  was  once  a  piece  of  ribbon,  blue  at  that,  or  at 
least  it  had  been  blue  at  one  time,  but  constant 
handling  had  faded  it  to  a  dingy  white  and  only 
shreds  and  ravelings  were  left,  and  these  required  a 
stretch  of  the  imagination  to  detect  a  trace  of  ribbon. 
The  letters  were  Mary's  and  the  ribbon  had  been  tied 
around  them  by  Mary  on  the  evening  of  Henry's  dis- 
appearance. So  the  ribbon  had  a  history.  And  each 
letter  had  a  history,  and,  one  by  one,  the  history  of 
each  was  given.  This  letter  was  the  first  one  she 
wrote.  It  was  an  innocent  school-girl  epistle  to  a 
boy  and  not  to  a  boy-lover.  The  next  was  written 
two  or  three  years  later,  showing  that  the  child  was 
not  a  very  faithful  correspondent,  which  could  hardly 
have  been  expected,  because,  during  those  years,  the 
little  people  met  about  every  day.  The  other  letters 
were  taken,  one  by  one,  from  the  little  bundle,  and 
the  date  each  was  written  afforded  Henry  an  ex- 
cellent opportunity  to  go  over  again  the  lives  of  the 
lovers  and  give  more  in  detail  the  events  in  the 
lovers'  lives.  The  letters  were  not  read.  They  were 
too  sacred  even  for  the  ear  of  a  friend  as  true  and 
devoted  as  Charles  Manning. 

The  college  life  experienced  by  Henry  was  often 
the  subject  of  conversation.  Charles  was  deeply 
interested  in  the  studies  which  Henry  had  engaged 
in,  and  was  delighted  while  listening  to  anything 
pertaining  to  either  the  text  books  in  use  or  the 
routine  of  college  life.  He  was  fascinated  with  the 


ON  ±HE   OCEAN.  US 

essay  Henry  had  read  at  his  graduation.  Time  and 
time  again  Henry  had  recited  it  at  Charles'  request. 
The  tariff  question  was  frequently  discussed,  and 
Charles  was  constantly  seeking  information  upon 
that  topic,  and  would  frequently  turn  the  conversa- 
tion in  that  direction,  even  when  conversing  with 
the  Captain  or  other  officers  of  the  vessel. 

That  Charles  Manning  was  keen,  bright,  intelli- 
gent and  intently  apt,  was  apparent  to  all  who  were 
intimate  with  him.  He  possessed  a  remarkable 
memory,  and  he  stored  his  mind  with  every  event 
Henry  had  recounted.  Not  satisfied  with  relying  on 
his  memory  he  kept  a  diary  and  at  night  all  the  con- 
versation and  incidents  of  the  day  were  recorded. 
Nothing  was  overlooked.  So  the  time  came  when 
Charles  knew  as  much  of  the  lives  of  Henry  and 
Mary  as  they  did  themselves. 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

THE  SHIPWRECK. 

"A  little  more  of  a  breeze  to-day,"  said  Captain 
Bodfish,  one  morning  after  his  vessel  had  been  b<3 
calmed  for  nearly  a  week.  "  The  air  gives  signs  of 
a  coming  storm,  and  when  it  does  come  may  the 
good  Lord  keep  and  preserve  us."  Even  as  the 
Captain  spoke  a  trace  of  a  dark  cloud  was  dimiy 
visible  way  to  the  west.  To  the  Captain's  experi- 
enced eye  the  little  tufts  of  uncarded  wool  so  slowjy 
moving  along  in  the  direction  of  the  vessel,  so  ne-t/.r 
the  blue  sky  and  yet  so  close  to  the  green  ocean, 
meant  that  the  calm  had  ended  and  the  storm  w«s 
beginning.  The  rapidly  given  orders  of  the  Captain 
were  quickly  obeyed  and  the  gallant  crew  made  ?»11 
the  preparations  possible  for  the  good  ship  to  receive 
the  gale  and  ride  through  it.  The  winds  came  as 
though  they  had  used  the  days  of  calm  to  gather 
force  from  all  the  ocean  and  all  the  sky,  and  in  their 
madness  they  seemed  to  see  on  all  that  broad  expanse 
of  surging  waves  but  one  frail  ship  to  wrestle  with, 
and  that  one  they  wrecked  as  though  it  had  been 
made  of  paper  and  manned  by  little  children.  Eve/y 
mast  and  spar  and  every  stitch  of  canvas  and  every 
soul  on  board,  save  five,  were  swept  into  the  sea. 
The  life  boats  were  torn  to  pieces  as  if  made  of  cloth. 
When  the  storm  ceased  and  the  sun  appeared,  all 
that  was  left  of  the  Lucky  Star  was  a  hull,  dis- 

116 


THE  SHIPWRECK.  117 

nwntled,  dismasted,  rudderless  and  water  soaked. 
The  Captain  and  the  two  clerks,  Henry  and  Charles, 
hnd  lashed  themselves  to  a  capstan  which  protruded 
a  few  inches  above  the  shattered  deck,  and  when  the 
storm  was  over  they  were  still  lashed  there  and  still 
living.  Two  deck  hands  had  tied  themselves  to  one 
of!  the  ponderous  anchors  which  hung  over  the  ship's 
side,  and  they,  too,  were  also  saved — five  souls  in  all 
—  five  human  beings  on  a  wreck,  and,  as  far  as  they 
b-iew,  without  food  or  water,  or  even  hope  of  rescue 
f.'om  a  grave  in  the  sea;  and,  in  fact,  with  nothing 
tut  life  left  them.  What  was  that  worth! 

On  being  released,  after  the  storm  had  somewhat 
coated,  the  men  counseled  together  as  to  what,  was  best 
to  be  done.  It  was  evident  that  the  hull  would  go 
I/O  pieces  should  there  come  another  storm  or  should 
Jie  wind  continue  to  blow  for  any  great  length  of 
lime,  as  it  was  blowing  then.  Even  while  the  con- 
\ersation  was  going  on,  the  ship  swayed  to  and  fro  as 
i-  making  a  desperate  effort  to  keep  its  place  on  the 
v-ater.  Suddenly  it  broke  apart  and  all  that  was  left 
cf  the  ship  went  down  beneath  the  waves,  except  a 
portion  of  the  prow,  to  which  the  shipwrecked  band 
clung  as  their  last  hope  of  rescue. 

When  the  hull  parted,  boxes,  barrels,  packages  of 
various  sorts  and  pieces  of  the  wreck,  came  to  the 
surface,  and,  as  they  floated  by,  the  men  boldly  risked 
their  lives  to  secure  some  of  the  debris.  Providence 
helped  them,  and  before  nightfall  they  had  stored  on 
their  frail  craft  two  barrels  of  water,  a  tierce  of  rice 
and  a  cask  of  brandy.  The  prow  they  were  on  was  a 
compartment  by  itself,  and  again,  providentially,  the 


118  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

severed  end  was  not  stove  in  or  seriously  damaged, 
and  to  all  appearances  it  was  water-tight  and  might 
float  until  a  storm  should  wreck  it. 

There  was  no  fire  nor  any  way  to  provide  one. 
The  rice,  soaked  in  water,  was  their  food.  The  water 
was  used  sparingly.  The  brandy  was  dealt  out  as 
medicine.  For  days  and  nights  the  craft  floated.  If 
always  in  the  same  direction  the  Captain  knew  that 
land  must  before  long  come  in  sight.  One  evening, 
when  darkness  had  fully  come,  alight  was  seen  in  the 
east,  and  all  the  night  long  the  now  emaciated  and  well 
nigh  exhausted  wreckers  took  turns  watching  it,  as 
though  it  was  a  friend  they  did  not  want  to  lose  sight 
of.  With  the  early  rays  of  the  sun  the  light,  which 
they  believed  must  be  on  land,  flickered  and  disap- 
peared, and  all  that  day  only  the  ocean  and  the  sky 
were  visible.  At  nightfall  the  light  came  again, 
brighter  than  before  and  apparently  nearer,  and 
then  they  knew  they  were  approaching  land  and  they 
rightly  conjectured  that  the  light  was  from  a  burning 
volcano.  Even  the  expectation  of  landing  on  a  coast 
where  only  a  volcano  welcomed  them,  was  exhilarat- 
ing and  exciting.  Another  day,  and  land  was  plainly 
in  sight.  Onward  the  strange  craft  drifted,  nearer 
and  nearer  to  the  rocky  cliffs,  and  now  came  the 
danger  long  feared  that  the  boat  would  be  destroyed 
by  contact  with  the  inhospitable  rocks,  which  every- 
where lined  the  coast.  There  was  no  staying  the 
progress  of  the  wreck,  even  had  they  desired  to,  and 
there  was  no  way  of  guiding  it  between  the  breaks 
that  here  and  there  separated  the  ragged  cliffs.  They 
were  now  at  the  mercy  of  the  rocks  as  well  as  the 


THE   SHIPWRECK.  119 

waves,  and  nothing  could  be  done  to  avert  the  fate 
which  seemed  in  store  for  them.  Instead,  however, 
of  floating  directly  upon  the  rocks,  as  was  expected, 
there  came  a  wind  from  beyond  the  cliffs  and  urged 
the  craft  along  the  shore  and  away  from  the  rocks, 
until  rounding  a  point,  the  cliffs  abruptly  ended, 
and  then  the  breeze  from  the  sea  drove  the  boat 
ashore  and  beached  it  where  the  water  was  but  a  few 
feet  deep. 

The  little  band  was  rescued.  They  were  rescued 
from  the  dangers  of  the  deep,  but  who  among  them 
knew  but  there  might  be  greater  perils  to  encounter 
on  the  land  than  they  had  escaped  from  on  the  sea. 
Thanking  God  for  their  deliverance  from  death  by 
drowning,  they  again  consulted  as  to  their  future 
movements.  Around  them  they  saw  evidences  of 
the  region  being  inhabited,  but  whether  by  civilized 
people  or  savages,  by  friends  or  foes,  was  a  subject 
of  the  gravest  apprehension. 

The  following  morning  they  set  out  on  a  tour 
inland.  Before  starting  on  their  uncertain  journey 
xhey  gathered  withes,  which  they  broke  from  stunted 
trees  and  bushes,  and  twisting  them  into  a  rope, 
made  fast  their  boat  to  the  trunk  of  an  old  tree. 
They  took  with  them  what  was  left  of  the  cask  of 
brandy,  and  a  supply  of  rice  which  they  carried  in  a 
basket  made  of  leaves,  and  almost  gleefully  they 
turned  their  backs  upon  the  ocean.  Their  progress 
was  slow  because  they  were  weak,  and  their  limbs, 
from  long  inaction,  refused  to  do  the  work  expected 
of  them.  Before  nightfall  they  not  only  became 
satisfied  they  were  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  habita- 


120  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

tion,  but  they  had  observed  various  evidences  of  civ- 
ilization. Trees  cut  smooth  and  clean,  as  with  a 
sharp  instrument,  were  lying  on  the  ground.  A  trail 
was  struck  during  the  afternoon,  and  this  trail  was 
fresh,  and  made  by  camels,  and  that  the  camels  were 
being  led  was  evident  from  the  tops  of  the  bushes 
being  eaten  off  only  near  the  trail. 

In  the  morning,  after  a  night's  sleep  on  the 
ground,  the  little  band  resumed  their  line  of  march. 
Hardly  were  they  under  way  when  a  human  being 
appeared  in  their  path,  and,  with  outstretched  arms, 
disputed  their  right  to  advance.  Soon  other  natives 
came  to  their  companion's  assistance,  and  a  con- 
ference was  held  by  the  semi-dusky  inhabitants  of 
the  new-found  land.  One  of  their  number  stepped 
a  few  feet  in  front  of  the  group  and  motioned  the 
castaways  to  approach.  The  meeting  was  a  friendly 
one,  evinced  by  the  natives  falling  upon  the  ground 
and  bowing  their  heads  in  the  dust.  After  the  story 
of  the  shipwreck  had  been  told  by  signs,  the  leader, 
partly  by  signs  and  partly  by  very  bad,  broken 
English,  gave  the  new-comers  to  understand  that 
yonder,  some  miles  distant,  was  a  large  village  to 
which  they  would  be  welcome.  The  Americans  were 
at  once  mounted  upon  camels,  and  the  caravan 
moved  quite  rapidly  towards  the  designated  village, 
reaching  there  early  in  the  afternoon. 

Truly  a  strange  and  marvelous  combination  of 
fortunate  circumstances.  In  the  wilds  of  an  un- 
known continent,  this  shipwrecked  crew  find  a  race 
of  beings,  who,  while  they  are  not  savages,  are 
not  civilized,  but  are  superior  in  intelligence,  in 


THE   SHIPWRECK.  121 

manners  and  customs,  to  the  Indian  or  the  African. 
The  little  raiment  that  clothes  them  is  of  European 
make,  indicating  they  are  in  communication  with 
European  merchants  and  European  civilization.  It 
is  ascertained  that  some  leagues  distant  is  a  great 
river,  that  a  trading  point  has  been  established  there, 
and  once  a  year  a  ship  from  a  distant  foreign  land 
comes  there  and  exchanges  its  wares  for  the  goods 
the  natives  have  to  sell.  There  are  a  number  of 
villages  tributary  to  this  trading  and  shipping  station, 
»\id  while  the  inhabitants  spend  their  time  chiefly 
i>i  indolence  and  idleness,  they  all  manage  to  accumu- 
late something  to  exchange  for  the  merchandise 
i\e  ship  brings. 

The  Americans  embrace  the  first  opportunity 
to,  join  a  caravan  that  is  on  its  way  to  the  trading 
point.  Reaching  there  they  find  a  large  village 
whose  inhabitants  have  nothing  to  do  except  as 
the  caravans  arrive  to  receive  the  articles  which 
ai^e  brought  to  exchange  for  the  ship's  goods.  This 
point  has  an  ocean  front  of  fully  one  mile,  bound  on 
both  sides  by  high  cliffs,  as  though  once  the  bed  of 
a  mighty  river.  This  plateau  or  table  land  extends 
back  for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  on  either  side  are 
dense  forests  and  vast  jungles.  Ivory,  the  skins 
of  wild  animals,  spices,  medicinal  roots  and  herbs, 
diamonds  and  other  precious  stones,  and  the  finest 
sponges,  are  the  chief  articles  of  export.  These 
are  exchanged  for  wearing  apparel,  canned  meats 
and  vegetables,  cheap  notions  and  trinkets. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

POISONED. 

The  Americans  made  themselves  quite  useful  to 
the  natives  while  waiting  the  arrival  of  the  ship. 
They  planned  a  system  of  water  supply,  by  which 
water  was  brought  into  the  village  from  a  lake  beyond 
the  cliff.  The  water  for  ages  had  been  brought  in 
rude  buckets,  but  the  inhabitants  joined  in  with  zest 
to  dig  the  trenches,  remove  the  pulp  from  the  logs 
which  were  used  for  water  pipes,  and  in  an  intelligent 
manner  carried-out  the  plans  which  Captain  Bodfish 
designed. 

Henry  and  Charles  were  not  as  inseparable  as  for- 
merly. While  by  no  means  unfriendly  they  were  less 
in  each  other's  company.  Henry  spent  much  of  his 
time  with  the  natives,  and  with  one  or  more  of  them 
would  freqMently  make  long  journeys  into  the  edges 
of  the  jungle.  The  natives  took  a  greater  liking  to 
him  than  to  either  of  the  others.  He  alone  was  shown 
where  the  diamonds  could  be  found,  and,  under  a 
pledge  of  secrecy  as  to  the  locality,  was  permitted  to 
search  for  them.  He  secured  many  valuable  ones 
which  he  intended,  at  the  proper  time,  to  divide 
with  his  comrades.  Charles  interested  himself  in 
the  herbs  and  roots  the  natives  were  gathering,  mak- 
ing constant  inquiries  as  to  the  use  and  power  and 
effect  of  those  that  were  considered  the  most  valuable. 
He  watched  the  natives  dive  in  the  deep  water  for  the 

132    , 


POISONED.  123 

sjyonge,  and  be  became  familiar  with  the  process 
of  cleaning  and  curing  tbem  for  market.  He  was 
ever  on  the  alert  to  learn  something  that  he  might 
turn  to  advantage  afterwards.  He  often  helped  the 
natives  distil  the  herbs,  and  prepare  the  drugs  for 
packing.  lie  was  the  first  to  learn  to  converse  with 
the  inhabitants,  though  this  knowledge  was  more  a 
matter  of  signs  than  words.  In  this  great  wilderness 
aiid  waste  and  among  these  strange  people,  as  on  the 
Lucky  Star,  Charles  Manning  was  an  apt  scholar, 
quick  to  grasp  the  thing  that  engaged  his  attention, 
and  whatever  he  learned  or  sought  to  learn  was  to  aid 
him  in  carrying  out  the  chief  object  and  purpose  of 
his  life.  But  who  beside  himself  knew  aught  of 
what  that  object  and  purpose  was? 

The  time  was  near  at  hand  when  the  expected  ves- 
sel might  heave  in  sight.  The  Americans  were  full 
of  glee  over  the  promised  event.  When  the  rejoic- 
ing was  at  its  height,  and  they  were  congratulating 
each  other-  over  the  prospect  of  once  again  joining 
their  kindred  and  friends  at  their  dear  old  homes, 
Henry  was  taken  sick.  "With  each  passing  hour  he 
grew  worse.  All  the  knowledge  of  disease  and  its 
cure  possessed  by  the  natives  the  young  man  had  the 
benefit  of.  Charles  was  by  his  side  constantly,  and 
he  claimed  the  privilege  of  taking  the  sole  care  of 
his  friend,  and  he  nursed  him  and  watched  over  him 
with  all  the  tenderness  of  mother  or  sister. 

One  other  attendant  almost  forced  herself  on  the 
sick  youth.  She  was  a  young  maiden,  a  brunette  of 
wondrous  beauty.  She  claimed  to  be  the  great  phy- 
sician's daughter,  and  from  her  father  she  had 


124-  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

learned  the  cure  of  diseases  peculiar  to  the  climate 
and  the  people,  and  she  knew  the  uses  of  the  herbs 
that  grew  on  the  hill-side.  She  had  a  complete 
knowledge  of  the  effects  on  the  system  of  the  various 
poisonous  roots  which  the  natives  gathered  for  market. 
She  knew  the  antidote  to  each,  and  where  to  find 
it,  and  how  to  administer  it  in  case  oJ  peril.  What 
interest,  if  any,  more  than  womanly  affection  for 
one  in  distress,  this  maiden  may  have  had  in  Henry 
was  known  only  to  herself,  and  possibly  to  Henry 
himself.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  lad  continued  to 
grow  worse.  The  herbs  that  were  so  marvelous  in 
their  cures  failed  to  bring  relief.  The  ship  came  in. 
Henry  was  bolstered  up  on  his  cot,  and  through  the 
open  door  saw  the  ship  at  anchor  only  a  few  rods 
distant.  His  heart  was  now  beating  strong  and  fast. 
The  blood  filled  his  veins  almost  to  bursting.  The 
thought  of  again  seeing  his  mother  and  the  other 
loved  one  so  dear  to  his  heart  possessed  all  his  feel- 
ings, was  the  full  measure  of  all  his  hopes,  and  filled 
to  the  brim  his  cup  of  happiness.  For  the  moment 
he  forgot  he  was  sick.  Forgot  that  even  then  there 
might  be  far  less  distance  between  him  and  his  God, 
than  between  him  and  his  betrothed. 

The  ship  had  sailed  from  a  port  in  Holland.  The 
captain  cheerfully  consented  to  take  the  Americans 
on  board,  and,  if  opportunity  offered,  transfer  them 
both  to  a  ship  bound  for  an  American  port.  The 
ship's  physician  at  once  went  ashore  and  visited  the 
sick  youth,  that  he  might  minister  to  his  needs,  and 
assist  in  conveying  him  on  board  the  vessel.  He 
found  Henry  sinking  rapidly  and  unconscious.  The 


POISONED.  125 

reaction  had  set  in  and  he  had  not  vitality  enough  to 
resist  it.  The  physician  endeavored  to  rally  him 
with  stimulants  but  was  unsuccessful.  Even  while 
the  last  boat  was  preparing  to  make  the  last  trip  to 
the  ship  the  Doctor  pronounced  Henry  Winters  dead. 
Living  when  all  hope  had  gone  and  only  the  sea.  and 
sky  and  the  remnant  of  a  dismasted  bark  to  lean  on. 
Dead  when  hope  had  returned  and  a  ship,  with  sails 
and  masts  and  rudder  and  men  to  man  it,  was  ready 
to  take  him  to  his  home! 

It  was  then  that  Captain  Bodfish  rose  to  the  full 
stature  of  a  noble  manhood,  and  knowing  what  he 
had  to  contend  with,  and  looking  the  doctor,  who 
still  had  hold  of  Henry's  hand,  square  in  the  eye, 
thus  addressed  him:  "Doctor,  as  God  lives,  that 
body  must  go  on  that  ship." 

The  doctor  comprehended  the  full  meaning  of  thai 
command.  It  was  made  by  one  used  to  having  his 
orders  obeyed.  The  Captain  turned  his  head  and 
gazed  devoutly  upon  the  beautiful  face  of  the  lad 
who  seemed  to  be  calmly  sleeping.  The  physician 
was  in  deep  study  and  evidently  a  great  conflict  was 
going  on  in  his  mind.  Charles,  kneeling  by  the 
side  of  the  cot,  had  bowed  his  head  as  if  overcome 
with  anguish.  Several  natives,  who  had  been  in- 
timate with  Henry,  stood  in  the  background,  eager 
witnesses  of  the  sad  scene.  The  doctor,*  letting  go 
the  dead  boy's  lian ••].  :md  returning  Captain  Bodfish's 
piercing  gaze,  at  last  replied  in  almost  unintelligible 
English — "Sire,  that  can  never  be!" 

Captain  Bodfish  knew  too  well  what  that  meant, 
lie  had  made  too  many  ocean  voyages  and  understood 


126        THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

too  well  the  superstition  of  sailors  as  regards  a  dead 
body  on  ship  board,  to  make  any -further  appeal. 
Helpless  and  powerless,  he  was  compelled  to  submit. 

Hastily  the  arrangements  were  made  for  the  burial 
of  poor  Henry's  body  by  the  natives.  Several  of  the 
more  intelligent  among  them  imposed  oaths  upon 
themselves  that  they  would  give  the  dead  a  Christian 
burial  and  mark  the  spot  with  a  fitting  memoriHl 
stone. 

Then  came  the  speedy  preparations  for  the  de- 
parture of  the  Captain  and  Charles.  The  two  deck 
hands  had  already  gone  aboard.  Tears  trickled  down 
the  honest  face  of  the  kind-hearted  Captain  as  he 
took  a  last  look  of  his  young  friend,  while  Charles 
could  find  only  sobs  to  tell  the  extent  of  his  sorrow. 
The  little  boat  was  ready  to  leave.  A  hasty  farewell 
was  said  to  the  groups  of  natives  standing  by, 
the  boat  was  pushed  from  the  shore,  strong  arms 
speedily  rowed  to  the  ship's  side,  the  anchor  was 
hauled  in,  the  sails  unfurled,  and  the  Sober  Fritz 
went  out  to  sea. 

The  living  were  gone.  Now  to  care  for  the  dead. 
That  same  young  maiden,  so  fair  and  lovely,  had 
gone  unbidden  into  the  little  cabin  where  Henry's 
body  was  lying,  and  was  now,  in  a  nervous  and 
exciting  manner,  pouring  a  liquid  into  his  mouth  and 
nostrils.  Others  came  in  quietly  and  softly  and 
looked  on  as  if  understanding  the  grave  nature  of 
the  proceeding,  and  anxiously  awaited  the  result. 
The  girl  never  took  her  eyes  off  the  marble  face 
before  her.  She  expected  the  life  to  return,  and  she 
was  not  disappointed,  for  in  a  short  time  Henry 


POISONED.  12* 

opened  his  eyes,  gazed  languidly  about  the  room,  and, 
as  if  exhausted  by  the  effort,  fell  asleep  and  slept 
all  the  night  through. 

On  awakening,  he  was  told  of  the  departure  of  the 
ship,  with  his  companions  on  board,  of  his  supposed 
death,  the  surmise  he  had  been  poisoned  and  the 
result  of  the  application  of  the  antidote.  He  was 
told  that  Captain  Bodfish  plead  for  the  body  to 
be  taken  on  shipboard,  and  how  painful  it  was 
for  the  physician  to  refuse.  All,  everything, 
showing  the  love  and  devotion  of  his  companions, 
was  told  him,  and  he  listened  and  wondered 
what  it  could  all  mean.  During  the  day  strength- 
ening drinks  were  administered  to  him,  and  on  the 
morrow  he  arose  from  his  cot  seemingly  strong  and 
fully  recovered  from  his  illness. 

The  mysteries  that  now  overwhelmed  the  poor  lad 
nearly  drove  him  distracted.  He  had  been  poisoned. 
By  whom?  He  was  told  that  when  life  was  thought 
extinct,  the  physician's  daughter  had  detected  the 
evidence  of  poison,  and  the  changing  hue  upon  the 
face  had  revealed  the  nature  of  the  drug  he  had 
taken,  and  enabled  the  maiden  to  obtain  the  anti- 
dote that  restored  him  to  consciousness.  Who  could 
have  perpetrated  this  great  crime? 

The  locket  containing  Mary's  picture  and  a  lock  of 
her  hair  had  been  removed  from  about  his  neck.  Who 
did  that?  Perhaps  it  was  Captain  Bodfish  or  Charles, 
who  would  restore  the  precious  gifts  to  his  affianced, 
with  the  story  of  his  death  in  a  strange  land  and  his 
burial  by  a  strange  people;  or  it  might  be  the  girl  who 
had  saved  his  life  had  removed  it  and  hidden  or  de- 


128  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

stroyed  it.  Could  it  be  that  this  girl  had  administered 
the  poison  when  the  ship  hove  in  sight,  and,  with  her 
knowledge  of  the  drug,  kept  him  as  one  dead  until 
the  ship  had  sailed  and  then  applied  the  antidote  that 
brought  his  life  back  to  him?  That  could  not  be, 
because  even  while  his  companions  were  taking  ala*t 
look  of  his  face,  the  girl  who  made  one  of  the  group 
around  his  cot,  suddenly  rushed  from  the  room  and 
fled  like  a  deer  to  the  mountains,  nor  did  she  return 
until  the  last  boat  had  been  pushed  from  shore.  On 
the  mountain  side  she  had  gathered  the  life-restoring 
herb,  had  steeped  it  in  boiling  water,  and  not  a 
moment  too  soon  had  poured  the  potion  down  his 
throat.  Had  she  given  the  poison,  would  she  not 
had  the  antidote  ready  at  the  exact  time  to  apply  it? 
No,  it  could  not  be  the  girl  who  sought  his  life  only 
to  save  it.  Who  was  it? 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  WILL  IS  A  FOKGERT. 

The  "Sober  Fritz"  was  at  once  gotten  under  sail 
and  by  nightfall  she  was  far  out  to  sea.  Captain 
Bodfish  could  not  conceal  his  feelings.  The  tears 
came  freely  without  bidding.  He  felt  he  had  not  only 
lost  a  dear  friend,  but  all  the  circumstances  connected 
with  his  death  were  sad  in  the  extreme.  Could  he 
even  have  brought  the  body  on  board  the  ship  and 
given  it  a  burial  beneath  the  waves,  he  would  have 
been  the  better  reconciled  to  the  fateful  events 
which  had  occurred. 

Charles  gave  vent  to  his  feelings  by  loud  expressions 
of  sorrow.  He  had  no  tears  to  shed,  though  he  often 
wished  that  tears  would  flow,  but  he  had  plenty  of 
words  of  love  and  affection  for  his  dead  friend,  and 
he  never  tired  of  speaking  of  his  merits  and  extolling 
his  good  qualities. 

At  the  first  port  made  by  the  "  Sober  Fritz  "  an 
American  ship  was  taking  on  coal,  and  the  Ameri- 
cans found  no  difficulty  in  engaging  passage  for  Bos- 
ton. The  voyage  was  finished  in  three  months,  and 
Captain  Bodfish  and  Charles,  having  feelingly  parted 
with  their  two  companions,  went  to  the  nearest  tele- 
graph office,  where  the  Captain  notified  the  New 
York  owners  of  the  "Lucky  Star"  of  her  loss,  of  the 
Captain's  arrival  in  Boston  and  his  need  of  funds. 

On  ship  board  the  Captain  and  Charles  had  jointly 
129 


130  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

prepared  a  full  statement  of  the  voyage  made  t>y 
Henry  to  India,  of  the  '  'Lucky  Star"  sailing  for  home, 
of  the  shipwreck,  and  the  events  which  preceded 
Henry's  death.  This  letter  was  full  of  sympathy 
for  the  sorrow-stricken  mother  and  heart-broken 
Mary,  and,  being  sealed  and  directed  to  Mrs.  Win- 
ters, was  deposited  in  the  post-office  by  Captain  Bod- 
fish.  A  few  moments  after  he  had  gone  out  of  the 
building,  Charles  asked  that  the  letter,  minutely 
describing  it,  might  be  returned  to  him,  he  claiming 
to  be  the  writer,  as  he  wished  to  enclose  a  draft,  which, 
in  the  hurry  of  mailing,  he  had  overlooked.  Obtain  • 
ing  the  letter  he  never  remailed  it.  The  same  daj , 
the  money  arriving,  Charles  was  loaned  a  sum  sufn*. 
cient  for  his  present  purposes,  which  he  promised  to 
return  in  a  few  days,  and  the  two  bidding  each  other 
farewell,  the  Captain  went  at  once  to  New  York  and 
Charles  boarded  a  train  for  his  home  in  a  New  Eng  • 
land  city. 

There  seemed  to  be  a  deal  of  mystery  about  the 
young  man,  even  though  now  mingling  with  the  peo  • 
pie  he  had  been  brought  up  among.  He  held  f  requerrt 
interviews  with  a  woman  always  dressed  in  black , 
and  who  never  failed  to  have  a  heavy  black  veil  drawn 
over  her  face.  She  may  have  been  young  or  she  may 
have  been  middle-aged.  She  may  have  been  beauti  • 
ful  or  ugly.  Possibly  Charles  knew.  No  one  els>; 
could,  unless  it  were  the  woman  herself.  She  came 
mysteriously  and  she  went  mysteriously.  No  one 
except  Charles  seemed  to  care  who  she  was,  what  she 
was,  or  whither  she  went. 

Charles  at  once  obtained  a  position  where  he  ooukl 


THE  WILL  IS  A  FORGERY.  131 

learn  telegraphing  and  railway  station  business.  In 
his  conversations  with  Henry  on  shipboard,  Charles 
had  heard  his  companion  speak  of  his  knowledge 
of  telegraphing.  What  Henry  knew  Charles  never 
tired  until  he  learned  the  same.  In  connection 
with  his  duties  in  the  telegraph  office,  Charles  be- 
came a  diligent  student  of  political  economy,  and 
especially  of  tariff  reform. 

For  several  weeks  the  woman  in  black  was  missed. 
Upon  her  return,  she  and  Charles  held  several  long 
and  earnest  interviews,  and,  seemingly,  as  if  in  some 
manner  connected  with  these  meetings,  Charles  one 
day  sent  the  following  telegraph  dispatch  : 

HALIFAX,  June  — ,  188-. 

MRS.  MATILDA  WINTERS:  I  have  just  landed  here.  Will 
start  at  once  for  home.  May  reach  you  by  Thursday.  Was 
kidnaped,  taken  to  Calcutta  ;  on  the  voyage  home  was  ship- 
wrecked, detained  on  an  unknown  land  for  nearly  two  years. 
Will  tell  you  all  when  I  see  you.  Love  to  Mary.  Hope  you 
are  both  well.  HENRY  WINTERS. 

When  the  messenger  brought  the  dispatch,  Mrs. 
Winters  was  lying  on  her  couch  sick  almost  unto 
death.  She  was  surrounded  with  loving  friends,  who 
sought  to  prove  their  devotion  by  little  acts  of  kind- 
ness, but  neither  kith  nor  kin  were  there  to  comfort 
her.  Yet  Mary  Holbrook  had  been  to  her  Mother 
Winters  all  that  child  could  be.  Their  tears  had 
mingled  together;  for  the  return  of  the  same  lost 
loved  one  they  prayed  together;  their  hopes  were  cen- 
tered on  the  same  object  of  affection,  and  the  heart 
of  one  knew  no  pain  the  other  did  not  experience, 
except  the  mysterious  secret  about  Major  Hoi- 


132       THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

brook's  will,  which  the  sick  woman,  for  some  strange 
reason,  refused  to  divulge. 

Mary  read  the  message  first.  The  trials  and  sor- 
rows she  had  experienced  nerved  her  for  any  event, 
no  matter  what  it  might  be.  For  a  moment  she 
was  overcome  by  the  glad  news.  Her  thoughts 
went  out  to  Mrs.  Winters,  for  she  feared  the  effect 
of  such  joyful  tidings  on  Henry's  mother.  With 
head  bowed  upon  the  poor,  sick  woman's  breast, 
and  with  arms  tenderly  entwined  around  her  neck, 
Mary  told  her  adopted  mother  of  the  expected  arri- 
val of  her  son. 

Mrs.  Winters  listened  unmoved,  then  turned  her 
head  toward  the  wall,  as  if  she  would  be  alone  with 
her  thoughts.  An  hour  passed.  Then,  arousing 
herself  and  beckoning  Mary  to  come  to  her  bedside, 
she  simply  said  she  prayed  to  live  long  enough  to 
take  her  dear  boy  by  the  hand,  place  it  in  Mary's, 
bless  her  children  and  commend  her  spirit  to  the 
God  that  gave  it. 

Was  her  prayer  answered? 

Several  days  and  nights  passed,  and  the  hour 
of  Henry's  expected  arrival  was  near  at  hand. 
A  kind  neighbor  had  offered  to  meet  Henry  with  a 
carriage  and  bring  him  to  his  home. 

During  the  day,  Mrs.  Winters  appeared  to  sleep. 
Her  eyes  were  closed,  and  she  breathed  naturally. 
Suddenly  she  raised  herself  up  in  bed  and  looked 
eagerly  about  the  room.  She  was  not  excited,  but 
calm  and  self-composed.  Lifting  her  hand  and 
pointing  her  long,  bony  fingers  toward  the  open  win- 
dow, through  which  the  setting  sun  shone  bright  and 


THE  WILL   IS  A   FORGERY.  133 

clear,  she  exclaimed,  in  a  voice  loud  and  distinct  for 
one  so  near  the  grave:  "  See  there!  Look  yonder! 
What  a  beautiful  white  light!  How  brilliant  it  is! 
How  grand!  Watch  its  golden  rays  spreading  out 
on  all  sides  and  in  every  direction.  Nearer  and 
nearer  it  comes,  wider  and  wider  its  pathway 
is  extended,  and  brighter  and  brighter  grows  its 
glittering  rays,  and  now  it  seems  to  cover  the  land 
with  new  life,  new  joys,  new  hopes,  new  aspirations, 
surely  promising  a  new,  a  better  and  a  brighter 
future.  So  I  interpret  the  meaning  of  the  blessed 
sight  I  see.  Oh,  that  I  might  live  to  enjoy  the  real- 
ization of  this  wondrous  revelation,  which  I  know  I 
alone  am  permitted  to  behold.  I  feel  it  means  the 
speedy  coming  of  the  better  times  and  happier  days 
so  long  looked  for  and  so  long  hoped  for  by  the  noble 
farmers  of  our  blessed  country.  But  my  strength 
is  failing,  my  work  is  finished,  and  I  know  I  am 
soon  to  go  to  meet  my  dear  Savior." 

By  this  time  the  bedside  was  surrounded  with  lov- 
ing neighbors,  and  standing  by  the  head  of  the  dying 
woman  and  holding  her  hand  was  the  faithful 
Mary  Holbrook.  Bending  tenderly  over  her,  Mary 
asked  if  she  would  like  to  tell  them  more  about 
what  she  had  been  dreaming. 

In  a  weaker  voice,  but  still  sweet  and  cheerful  as 
a  child  at  play,  she  answered:  "  I've  not  been 
dreaming,  have  I?  No,  no,  it  could  not  be  a  dream. 
It  did  not  seem  like  a  dream.  It  was  too  real  for  a 
dream.  I  was  awake,  wide  awake,  and  I  saw  my 
darling  Mary  as  I  see  her  now,  and  I  saw  that  flood 
of  light  with  my  open  eyes.  Listen  and  I  will  tell 


134  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

you  more.  I  see  it  now.  What  a  change  it  makes 
in  all  it  beams  upon,  and  it  seems  to  beam  on  all 
this  broad  continent.  It  scatters  penury  and  want 
and  haggard  faces  and  tattered  rags  to  the  winds 
of  heaven,  and  in  its  wake  and  in  their  places  it 
leaves  plenty  and  good  cheer  and  smiles  and  whole 
garments.  The  ricketty  old  farm  house,  so  long 
going  to  decay  and  ready  to  fall  to  the  ground,  is 
changed  to  a  home  of  comfort  and  cheerfulness,  and 
the  inmates  look  upon  the  transformation  with 
happy  smiles  and  words  of  joy  and  thanksgiving. 
The  mother  in  the  doorway  stands  transfixed  with 
wonder  and  delight,  and  she  looks  heavenward,  as  if 
to  thank  her  God  for  what  she  sees,  but  her  lips 
fail  to  tell  the  joy  she  experiences.  The  pale, 
shrunken,  shriveled  and  hollow  cheeks  have  their 
fullness  and  color  returned,  the  once  sunken  eyes 
with  returning  lustre  beam  out  full  and  bright  and 
clear  from  their  prison  cells;  the  blood  no  longer 
lazily  courses  her  veins,  but  to  her  the  white  light 
brings  new  life  and  new  hopes  ;  in  a  word,  a  new 
world  opens  to  her  vision,  she  feels  the  shackles 
unloosed  from  her  limbs,  and  she  is  free  and  no 
longer  a  slave — restored  to  that  standing  in  the 
realm  of  noble  womanhood,  from  which,  for  a  gen- 
eration, she  had  been  driven  by  the  greed,  avarice 
and  covetousness  of  her  countrymen. 

"  The  growing  corn  takes  on  a  brighter  and 
richer  color,  the  fields  of  half-ripened  grain,  which 
the  eye  beholds  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  promise  a 
yield  of  wealth  that  for  the  first  time  in  years  will 
return  a  liberal  profit  to  the  husbandman;  the  green 


THE   WILL  IS   A   FORGERY.  135 

meadows  give  out  a  newer  and  fresher  verdure,  the 
cattle  in  the  pastures  are  sleeker  and  fatter;  and  the 
bronzed  and  stout-limbed  farmer  who  stood  silently 
viewing  his  acres  and  his  herds,  cheerlessly  and 
despondently  contemplating  the  long-continued  low 
prices  of  farm  produce,  seeing,  sooner  or  later, 
beggary  and  ruin  staring  him  and  his  family  in 
their  faces;  pondering  over  the  growing  mortgage 
on  all  his  possessions,  with  growing  doubt  and 
uncertainty  of  its  ever  being  paid;  as  he  feels  the 
bright  rays  of  the  rapidly  moving  light  illuminate 
his  whole  being,  he  sees  the  clouds  which  had  dark- 
ened a  long  life  of  patient  toil  and  ceaseless  care, 
disappear  in  the  distance,  and  he  beholds  the  home 
of  his  youth  and  old  age,  the  home  of  his  blessed 
wife  and  loving  children,  free  of  debt,  his  family  in 
the  enjoyment  of  the  fruits  of  his  and  their  labor, 
and  peace  and  love  and  plenty  and  all  the  desires  of 
his  heart  poured  in  upon  him.  Glorious  revelation! 
May  the  law-makers  of  the  land  make  it,  as  they  can, 
a  grand  realization." 

Matilda  Winters  spoke  as  one  inspired.  Her  eyes 
sparkled,  but  not  unnaturally;  her  cheeks  were  flush 
and  radiant,  as  if  with  joy;  her  voice  had  grown 
stronger  as  she  proceeded  with  the  word  picture  of 
her  revelation,  and  her  whole  soul  seemed  clothed 
with  that  wisdom  which  might  come  from  on  high. 
y?emingly  in  possession  of  all  her  senses,  she  gazed 
upon  the  weeping  group  around  her  as  if  she  would 
lull  more  of  her  wondrous  vision,  and  give  more  of 
)j*r  interpretation  of  it. 

The  silence  was  broken  by  the  sound  of  the  rattling 


136  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

wheels  of  a  carriage  approaching  the  house.  The  ex- 
pected one  has  come.  The  little  group  around  the  bed- 
side retire,  all  save  the  weeping  girl,  who  has  clasped 
her  hand  in  that  of  the  dying  woman,  and  the  attend- 
ing physician.  The  door  opens,  a  young  man  bounds 
noiselessly  in,  rushes  to  the  bedside,  kisses  the  pale 
cheek  of  the  emaciated  woman  who  lies  there  so  quiet, 
so  weak,  so  calm,  then  affectionately  embraces  the 
trembling  girl,  who  stands  motionless  and  white  as  a 
statue  of  the  purest  parean  marble,  and  implants  a 
kiss  upon  her  lips,  which  salutation  she  feelingly  and 
lovingly  returns. 

The  sick  woman  gazed  first  upon  the  young  man 
then  upon  the  young  girl,  and,  without  moving 
a  muscle  or  uttering  a  word,  closed  her  eyes.  The 
sobbing  girl  appealed  to  the  dying  woman  to  speak 
to  her,  and  beseechingly  implored  her  to  "  give  your 
children — your  Henry,  your  Mary — your  blessing.  Oh 
sainted  mother,  the  angels  ask  this  of  you.  Do  not, 
oh!  do  not,  I  beg  of  you,  do  not  withhold  it!"  There 
was  a  motion  of  the  lips,  a  pressure  of  the  hand,  an 
effort  to  speak,  a  smile  it  might  be — perhaps  it  was — 
and  Mary  Holbrook  believed  the  blessing  she  craved 
was  mentally  bestowed  upon  her  and  her  lover. 

The  physician,  noticing  the  change  coming  over 
the  sick  woman's  countenance,  stepped  to  the  door 
and  bade  the  waiting  attendants  come  in.  Perceiv- 
ing that  she  was  making  an  effort  as  if  to  speak, 
one  of  the  group  leaned  over  the  bed,  and  asked 
her  if  she  wished  to  say  something  about  the  will. 
She  smiled  as  if  pleased  that  her  desire  was  under- 
stood. Then,  turning  her  face  toward  the  win- 


THE  WILL  IS  A  FORGEBY.  137 

dow  through  which  the  last  rays  of  the  setting  sun  were 
dimly  flickering,  speaking  in  a  low  voice,  yet  distinct 
and  clear,  so  that,  with  the  silence  that  the  presence 
of  death  invokes,  to  make  her  words  audible  and 
readily  understood,  she  exclaimed,  slowly,  as  though 
weighing  the  meaning  of  each  word  and  syllable, 

' '  The — will — is — a — for — ger — y — not — my — s " 

The  eyes  closed,  the  lips  parted,  but  only  to  make 
room  for  a  sweet  smile,  joined  by  a  soft,  mellosv 
light  that  encircled  the  brow,  lingering  there  a  mo- 
ment, then  it  flitted  and  fluttered  as  if  it  were  the 
reflection  of  the  soul  struggling  to  be  free,  and  life 
and  light  and  sun  disappeared  together! 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE    DECEPTION. 

When  Charles  Manning  went  out  from  the  scene  of 
death  he  realized  that  his  first  bold  deception,  extra- 
ordinary as  it  was,  had  been  successful.  He  at  once 
took  possession  of  Mrs.  Winter's  farm,  and  as  there 
were  none  to  deny  his  claim  as  the  legal  heir  to  the 
estate,  he  was  secure  in  its  occupancy.  To  enable 
him  to  maintain  his  deception,  he  had  provided  him- 
self with  every  conceivable  weapon.  In  the  keeping 
of  a  shrewd,  cunning  man,  he  could  ask  for  noth- 
ing more  than  he  had  at  his  command.  He  was 
in  possession  of  a  fund  of  information  that  would 
enable  him  to  meet  and  repel  any  suspicion  that 
Mary  Holbrook  or  any  of  her  neighbors  might  enter- 
tain as  to  his  identity. 

He  started  out  with  the  knowledge  that  through 
deception  he  possessed  Mary  Holbrookes  love — love 
that  was  as  pure  and  guileless  as  innocence  itself. 
While  it  was  really  love  for  another,  it  rested  with 
him  to  be  able  to  so  personate  that  other  throughout 
the  twelve  months  custom  had  fixed  should  elapse 
between  a  death  in  the  family  and  a  marriage,  as  to 
never  give  cause  for  the  shadow  of  suspicion  of  the 
deception. 

Charles  Manning  had  made  himself  believe  he  was 
not  committing  a  crime  in  the  desperate  game  he  was 
playing.  He  did  not  even  think  it  a  game.  He  had 

m 


THE   DECEPTION.  139 

imbued  his  conscience  with  such  plausible  arguments, 
in  defense  of  his  intentions,  that  it  became  seared 
and  callous  as  far  as  any  susceptibility  to  a  moral 
impression  was  concerned,  and  he  had  only  to  consult 
with  that  inward  monitor  to  find  a  counselor  that 
would  second  any  scheme  he  might  undertake. 

His  soliloquies  were  ingenious,  and  to  his  conscience 
they  wore  convincing.  If  Mary  Ilolbrook  believed 
he  was  her  lover,  if  heaven  had  fashioned  two  men 
so  much  alike  that  a  maiden  of  ordinary  intelli- 
gence, who  had  given  her  heart  to  one,  after  years  of 
intimacy  and  devotion,  should  continue  that  love  to 
the  other,  and,  after  a  long  period  of  similar  intimacy 
v  ith  that  other,  fail  to  detect  a  shadow  of  decep- 
t;on,  he  could  not  see  wherein  any  wrong  existed. 
>Ie  had  so  perverted  his  conscience  that  it  concealed 
from  him  the  evil  which  was  in  his  heart  when 
Henry  Winters  first  told  the  story  of  his  love 
for  Mary  Ilolbrook;  that  it  concealed  from  him  the 
<rnl  that  was  intensified  and  developed  into  an  un- 
pardonable crime  when  he  gave  the  draught  to  his 
companion  with  the  intention  of  preventing  him 
from  again  enjoying  Mary  Holbrookes  love;  that  it 
concealed  from  him  the  infamy  which  made  up  the 
desperate  scheme  he  had  planned  to  secure  the  love 
of  one  that  believed  she  was  loving  another. 

Charles  Manning  may  have  conscientiously  believed 
if  Mary  Holbrook  never  learned  of  the  deception 
practiced  upon  her  there  was  no  wrong  done.  This 
thing  of  conscience  either  takes  to  curious  fits  and 
startling  turns,  at  times,  or  else  some  other  force 
crowds  it  out  of  its  place.  Charles  Manning  had 


140  THE  MOKTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

made  himself  believe  that  his  conscience  approved  of 
every  scheme  he  devised  to  cheat  and  deceive  Mary 
Holbrook.  Yet  there  must  have  been  times  in  his 
career  when  his  conscience,  notwithstanding  the 
surroundings,  told  him  that  he  was  a  criminal  of  the 
deepest  dye. 

Charles  Manning  spent  the  most  of  his  time  in  the 
company  of  Mary  Holbrook.  The  two  farms  were 
managed  by  hired  help,  which  gave  the  owners 
plenty  of  time  for  reading  together,  strolling  in  the 
woods  and  fields,  rowing  on  the  lake,  and  love  making. 

Not  wishing  to  be  idle,  and  learning  of  the  con- 
templated resignation  of  the  telegraph  operator  at 
the  station,  Charles  made  application  for  the 
place.  The  company,  upon  being  satisfied  of  his 
efficiency,  was  glad  to  accept  the  services  of  so  pop- 
ular and  intelligent  a  young  man  as  Henry  Winters 
— for  by  that  name  he  must  now  be  known — had 
proven  himself  to  be.  As  the  duties  only  required  a 
portion  of  his  time  he  was  enabled  without  neglect- 
ing anything  expected  of  him,  to  give  the  two  farms 
his  general  attention. 

Mary  Holbrook  had  no  cause  to  find  fault  with  the 
fervency  and  ardor  of  the  love  which  Henry  Winters 
embraced  every  opportunity  to  convince  her  he  pos- 
sessed for  her.  He  was  in  fact  the  most  devoted  of 
wooers.  She  failed  to  see  that  his  rough  experience 
and  strange  adventures  among  the  people  of  that  hid- 
den continent  had  lessened  his  admiration  for  her,  or 
had  benumbed  his  feelings  toward  her,  or  had  made 
him  any  less  the  ardent  lover.  It  might  be,  she 
thought  at  times  that  he  was  not  so  enraptured  with 


THE    DECEPTION.  141 

her  personal  charms  as  before  that  strange  sea  voyage, 
or  at  least  he  was  not  as  loud  and  earnest  in  his 
expressions  of  love  as  on  the  night  when  he  bade  her 
what  proved  to  be  a  long,  long  adieu.  Still  she  ex- 
perienced the  perfection  of  bliss  in  listening  to  the 
oft-repeated  stories  of  his  sufferings  on  the  wreck  at 
sea,  and  the  dangers  he  encountered  in  his  travels 
among  the  people  of  that  strange  land.  He  knew 
just  how  much  color  to  give  to  his  adventures  to  inter- 
est and  fascinate  his  fair  listener,  and  she  in  turn 
would  hang  on  his  lips,  breathless  and  silent,  as  if 
the  magic  spell  would  be  broken  were  she  to  utter  a 
single  word.  She  never  tired  of  being  an  enthusias- 
tic listener.  Often  she  would  beg  him  to  tell  the  story 
over  again  that  she  might  pity  him  while  at  least  he 

elling  it.  Thus  he  wove  around  his  victim  a  net 
with  strands  of  steel,  and  if  she  ever  breaks  through 
them  and  becomes  free,  heaven  and  angels  must  help 
her  do  it. 

Young  Winters  labored  to  make  himself  popular 
with  the  farmers  far  and  near.  He  made  them  fre- 
quent visits,  happening  in  on  them  at  meal  times,  or 
belated,  staying  with  them  over  night.  His  hobby 
was  the  tariff,  and  nothing  pleased  him  so  much  as 
to  sit  around  the  cheerful  fire  of  a  winter's  evening 
and  discuss  that  subject.  He  had  a  familiar  way  of 
getting  at  the  tax  on  the  things  the  farmers  bought. 

ould  ask  his  listeners  to  name  an  article  in  sight 
that  the  farmer  did  not  pay  a  tax  on.  From  the 
family  Bible  on  the  center  table  down  to  the  prinu-r 
the  creeping  babe  was  busily  tearing  in  pieces,  a  tax 
was  levied  on.  The  salt  and  the  salt  cellar,  the 


142  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

knife  and  fork,  the  spoons,  the  crockery,  the  tab«e 
cloth,  the  rug  before  the  fire  and  the  carpet  on  tL<3 
floor,  the  chairs  and  the  cradle,  the  lumber  the  houp£ 
was  built  of,  the  nails,  the  paint,  the  doors,  the  lock  a 
and  the  keys,  the  sugar  and  the  sugar  bowl,  the  tin 
pans,  the  stoves,  the  blankets  on  the  beds,  the  bed- 
steads and  every  article  of  clothing  on  both  male  and 
female,  yea,  nearly  everything  the  farmer  did  not 
raise,  but  which  he  bought,  was  taxed  from  twenty  to 
eighty-five  per  cent.  Go  out  doors,  the  same  endless 
system  of  taxation  is  visible.  There  was  not  a  tool 
or  a  farming  implement,  from  the  hoe  leaning 
against  the  garden  fence  to  the  threshing  machine  in 
the  yard,  but  was  taxed,  and  a  tax  that  on  tlm;« 
articles  out  of  four  was  forced  out  of  the  farmer'^ 
pocket,  not  to  help  pay  the  expenses  of  running  tL«j 
government,  but  to  be  put  into  another  man's  purst, 
that  he  might  carry  on  a  business  which  he  claimed 
would  not  be  profitable  without  this  contribution 
from  the  farmers. 

He  loved  to  talk  with  the  people  about  his  travete 
and  adventures  and  was  constantly  introducing  sub- 
jects that  would  afford  him  an  opportunity  to  show 
them  how  familiar  he  was  with  their  habits,  and 
little  incidents  in  their  lives,  which  had  been  forgot- 
ten save  as  he  revived  the  recollection  of  them.  He 
delighted  in  these  reminiscences  and  in  refreshing 
the  memories  of  the  neighbors,  so  that  had  there 
been  in  all  that  region  any  one  who  suspected  he  was 
not  Henry  Winters,  whole  communities  would  have 
risen  up  to  prove  his  identity. 

No  wonder  poor  Mary  Holbrook  was  completely 


THE   DECEPTION.  143 

blinded.  It  was  an  unequal  contest  from  the  begin- 
ning. The  praise  of  her  lover  was  on  every  lip. 
That  kind  of  praise  which  so  often  makes  maidens 
love,  even  against  their  will — makes  them  love  when 
they  should  hate.  There  were  times,  though,  when 
a  mysterious  something  would  be  tugging  at  her 
heart-strings,  as  if  to  warn  her  of  danger.  But  she 
was  too  devoted  to  her  lover  to  heed  the  warning. 
Often  she  would  fancy  there  were  voices  whispering 
something  about  lovers  that  were  false,  and  lovers 
made  mad  by  love,  but  she  never  thought  the  voices 
were  for  her  to  heed. 

"  Henry,"  she  said  one  evening,  when  passing  the 
little  churchyard,  and  noticing  the  shadow  of  the  frail 
steeple  lengthening  out  clear  to  the  graves  of  the 
loved  ones,  "  I  see  the  grass  is  growing  in  that  little 
path  to  your  mother's  grave.  It  certainly  can  not 
be  that  the  memory  of  your  sainted  mother  is  being 
forgotten,  and  that  you  have  any  less  tears  to  shed 
now  over  her  grave  than  when  she  was  first  laid  there." 

Mary  did  not  utter  this  mild  rebuke  because  she 
doubted  Henry's  reverence  for  his  mother's  memory, 
and  yet  so  sudden  was  the  question  asked,  and  so 
unexpected,  that  it  startled  him  into  a  fright,  and  in 
spite  of  his  great  will  power,  he  turned  pale,  and 
beads  of  sweat  trickled  down  his  face.  Mary  noticed 
his  excited  condition  and  attributed  it  to  his  feelings, 
which  she  had  unintentionally  wounded  by  the  cruel 
insinuation.  Before  he  could  regain  his  composure 
sufficiently  to  reply,  Mary,  in  a  tender  and  sympa- 
thetic manner,  apologized  for  her  thoughtlessness, 
and  when  her  great  black  eyes  met  his,  she  implored 
his  forgiveness. 


CHAPTER  XVII, 

IN   AN"   UNKNOWN    LAND. 

Henry  Winters,  though  alone  and  in  an  unknown 
land,  was  not  the  lad  to  give  up  in  despair.  Manly 
courage  was  one  of  his  marked  characteristics. 
Through  all  the  hardships  of  the  shipwreck  and 
amid  all  the  perils  encountered  since  reaching  the 
shore,  he  had  borne  himself  as  a  true  hero.  Alone 
now,  left  alone  by  those  who  thought  him  dead,  and 
knowing  his  death  would  be  reported  to  his  mother 
and  to  Mary  Holbrook,  he  grieved  only  for  them.  He 
felt  they  would  be  mourning  his  death,  and  he  pitied 
them.  For  himself,  now  that  he  was  restored  to 
health,  he  no  longer  had  a  thought  or  a  wish. 
Twelve  months  would  soon  roll  around,  and  the  ship 
would  come  again  and  he  would  be  homeward  bound. 
His  heart  leaped  with  joy  at  the  thought  of  the  sur- 
prise in  store  for  those  loved  ones  who  for  a  full  vew 
would  mourn  his  death. 

But  how  should  he  occupy  his  time  during  the 
months  of  waiting?  He  was  in  nowise  inclined  to 
seek  pleasure  in  the  lives  the  natives  lived,  nor  did 
the  dusky  maiden,  who  had  rescued  him  from  the 
grave,  have  any  charms  for  him.  He  was  grateful 
for  the  inestimable  service  she  had  done  him,  but 
the  debt  ended  with  his  gratitude.  He  had  only  the 
love  of  a  son  for  his  mother,  and  the  love  of  a  lover 
for  Mary  Holbrook. 

144 


IX   AN   UNKNOWN  LAND.  145 

He  soon  learned  what  he  might  well  have  feared, 
that  his  life  was  still  in  danger.  One  day  there  came 
from  beyond  the  mountains  the  proud  chieftain  of  a 
mighty  people.  The  great  physician's  daughter  was 
that  chieftain's  promised  wife.  But  when  he  sought 
her  hand  and  asked  her  to  redeem  her  pledge  by 
wedding  him,  she  hesitated.  The  chieftain  at  once 
connected  Henry  with  the  refusal  of  his  affianced  to 
wed  him.  Though  wrongfully  accused,  the  penalty 
was  the  same.  He  was  in  the  way.  He  must  be 
removed.  But  mortals  can  not  go  so  far  from  the 
eye  of  omnipotence  but  they  may  be  made  to  feel 
that  even  a  great  chieftain  may  propose  while  God 
disposes. 

One  night,  soon  after  the  arrival  of  this  chieftain, 
two  natives  entered  the  apartment  in  which  Henry 
was  sleeping,  and  bade  him  rise  and  follow  them.  It 
was  instinct  to  obey.  Out  into  the  wilderness  they 
went,  and,  before  they  saw  the  morning's  sun,  they 
had  left  many  leagues  between  them  and  the  chief- 
tain's decree. 

The  following  day  they  reached  the  banks  of  a 
river,  and  at  once  proceeded  to  construct  a  raft  for  a 
voyage  down  the  stream.  With  an  axe  and  saw  they 
felled  several  trees,  and  with  long  roots  pulled  from 
the  ground,  which  answered  for  ropes,  and  with  the 
bark  stripped  from  the  trees,  they  soon  had  the  ma- 
terial for  a  float,  and  by  another  day  they  were  ready 
to  embark.  The  stream  abounded  in  fish,  and  birds 
fairly  filled  the  air.  Delicious  eggs  lined  the  river 
banks,  and  the  bread-bush  was  laden  with  a  sub- 
stance very  much  resembling  finely  ground  flour.  In 
fact,  the  adventurers  lived  on  the  fat  of  the  land. 
10 


146  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

The  current  of  the  river  ran  quite  swiftly,  perhaps 
five  miles  an  hour.  The  stream  was  on  an  average  a 
full  mile  in  width,  and  it  kept  close  to  high  cliffs  on 
one  side,  while  on  the  other  was  a  vast  expanse  of 
tableland  several  feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water 
and  stretching  out  to  the  very  horizon  with  not  a  tree 
or  bush  or  rock  in  sight.  This  boundless  area  of  land 
may  at  one  time  have  been  the  bed  of  the  river,  or 
perhaps  the  seat  of  an  empire,  and  the  ages  m»y 
have  laid  waste  its  cities  and  covered  the  ruins  with 
imperishable  dust. 

For  more  than  a  thousand  miles  did  these  wander- 
ers drift  on  the  bosom  of  that  beautiful  stream 
without  seeing  a  human  face  or  a  human  habitation. 
This  monotony  was  not  to  continue  always,  for  OL«e 
afternoon  they  discovered  a  large  boat  tied  to  a  stake 
driven  on  the  bank  of  the  river,  and  hardly  had  they 
gotten  over  their  surprise  at  this  discovery,  when  a 
dozen  savages  plunged  into  the  water  and  swam 
rapidly  toward  the  raft;  knowing  the  rude  structure 
would  sink  should  the  savages  seek  to  climb  aboard, 
it  was  headed  toward  the  shore  to  await  their  com- 
ing. The  meeting  instead  of  being  unfriendly  was 
quite  cordial  and  it  was  not  long  before  all  were  on 
friendly  terms.  Much  to  Henry's  astonishment  he 
learned  that  while  the  new  comers  appeared  to  be 
savages,  they  were  quite  civilized  and  were  savage 
only  in  lack  of  dress  and  the  surplus  of  glittering 
ornaments  which  covered  their  limbs. 

A  rest  of  a  day  or  two  and  Henry  and  his  two 
trusty  friends  resumed  their  journey.  Ruins  and 
desolate  and  abandoned  villages,  which  had  bec-n 


IN  A3f   UXKN'OWN*   LAND.  147 

plainly  visible  for  hundreds  of  miles,  gave  way  to 
new  buildings  and  new  improvements,  denoting  the 
approach  of  a  modern  civilization.  Amid  the  ruins  of 
ancient  palaces  and  grand  cathedrals  were  palaces  and 
cathedrals  of  modern  architecture,  in  strange  contrast 
with  the  decay  from  which  they  seemed  to  have 
arisen. 

The  appearance  of  the  country  indicated  that  a 
new  race  had  come  to  reclaim  the  land  and  restore 
the  order  of  things  before  the  decay.  These  improve- 
ments became  more  marked  and  more  modern  as  the 
adventurers  approached  the  sea. 

Before  another  moon  they  found  themselves  in  the 
midst  of  an  advanced  civilization.  Agriculture  and 
manufactures  were  prospering  together,  and  were 
moving  hand  in  hand  with  mining  and  mechanic 
arts.  The  farms  were  well  cultivated  and  the  tillers 
of  the  soil  were  satisfied  and  prosperous.  Their 
improvements  were  substantial  and  commodious. 
They  worked  ten  or  eight  hours  a  day  just  as  they 
chose.  Their  wives  and  children  were  happy  and 
healthy.  Their  crops  were  bountiful,  and  for  the 
surplus  they  found  a  ready  market  at  a  fair  profit. 
Countless  industries  were  in  operation  the  year  round 
and  employes  seldom  complained  of  the  wages  paid 
them.  As  a  general  thing  they  owned  their  homes 
and  were  out  of  debt  or  possessed  the  means  to  pluco 
themselves  out  of  debt.  Holidays  were  numerous 
and  strikes  were  unknown.  Everybody,  save  the 
drones,  the  criminals  and  the  indolent,  were  pros- 
pering. Everything  of  merit  was  flourishing.  The 
very  rich  and  the  very  poor,  were  few  in  number. 


148  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

The  middle-class  predominated  and  controlled  the 
government.  One  word  expressed  it  all.  That  was 
contentment. 

Henry  visited  several  cities  and  mingled  with  the 
people.  The  same  thrifty  condition  prevailed  in 
them  all.  He  was  constantly  impressed  with  the 
fact  that  the  multitude  were  busy.  No  complaining 
of  hard  times.  No  fears  of  a  financial  crisis.  Fraud- 
ulent assignment  for  the  benefit  of  preferred  credit- 
ors was  almost  unheard  of.  But  few  mortgages  to 
foreclose.  No  receivers  appointed  to  manage  bank- 
rupt corporations.  Just  enough  poor-houses  and 
paupers  and  jails  to  show  that  human  nature  was  the 
same  the  world  over. 

Each  person  pursued  his  line  of  business  with  a  cer- 
tainty of  receiving  fair  and  just  compensation  for  the 
work  done,  with  the  assurance  that  his  earnings 
would  go  into  his  own  pockets  and  not  be  used  by 
the  government  to  protect  infant  industries. 

The  exchange  of  products  between  the  several 
countries,  was  conducted  on  an  extensive  scale.  The 
breadstuff,  meats,  oil,  fruit,  clothing  and  coal  of  one 
nation  found  a  ready  market  in  another,  and  was 
exchanged  for  gold,  silver,  silks,  wool,  iron  and  iron 
ore,  cotton,  sugar,  and  various  kinds  of  raw  ma- 
terial. The  revenues  of  the  governments  were 
derived  from  a  tax  on  imports,  and  this  tax  was  fixed 
each  year  by  a  board  of  revenue  adjusters.  There 
was  no  surplus  stored  away  in  the  vaults  of  the  treas- 
ury, to  make  men  dishonest,  and  only  enough  tax 
was  gathered  to  pay  current  expenses.  Such  a  tariff 
was  popular  with  the  masses,  and  while  there  was 


IX   AX    UXKXOWN   LAND.  149 

occasionally  a  manufacturer  who  thought  he  could 
pay  his  employes  better  wages  were  he  protected 
against  the  cheaper  labor  of  some  of  the  other  coun- 
tries he  had  to  compete  with,  yet  when  he  consid- 
ered that  the  theory  of  protection,  if  generally 
adopted,  would  so  affect  his  interests  in  other  direc- 
tions, that  wages  would  be  loAver  and  his  profits 
smaller,  he  would  not  insist  on  being  protected.  He 
prospered  without  protection,  and  his  employes  pros- 
pered with  him. 

The  tax  or  tariff  laws  were  the  simplest  part  of  the 
machinery  of  the  government.  Nothing  was  covered 
up,  or  concealed  from  the  tax-payer.  If  he  bought 
a  coat  made  outside  the  realm,  he  knew  that  a  cer- 
tain part  of  the  purchase  price,  and  just  how  much, 
was  tariff,  and  how  much  was  for  the  coat,  and  he 
knew  that  the  tariff  he  paid  went  into  the  people's 
treasury,  instead  of  into  the  pockets  of  his  neighbor, 
to  recompense  him  for  a  fancied  loss  he  might  sus- 
tain by  carrying  on  his  business.  Each  tub  stood  on 
its  own  bottom.  There  was  no  favoritism,  no  class 
legislation,  no  special  privileges;  but  equal  and  ex- 
act justice  for  all. 

Henry  was  puzzled  over  what  caused  the  decay  and 
desolation  in  the  vast  country  through  \vhich  he  had 
journeyed,  and  what  condition  of  things  led  civiliza- 
tion tore-occupy  ruins  that  might  become  ruins  again 
under  like  circumstances.  By  the  aid  of  his  com- 
panions, who  could  talk  the  language,  though  in  a 
broken  manner,  he  learned  from  the  wise  men  that 
the  country,  for  thousands  of  miles,  had  once  been  the 
richest  food-producing  soil  known  to  mankind;  that 


150  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

for  hundreds  of  years  it  was  cultivated  by  serfs,  who, 
iii  time,  earned  their  freedom,  became  owners  of  the 
lands,  and  were  admitted  to  equal  citizenship  with 
their  former  employers;  that  the  surplus  grain  and 
meat  were  transported  to  distant  countries  and  sold 
at  a  fair  profit;  that,  generally,  the  expenses  of  the 
government  were  met  by  a  tax  on  the  articles  brought 
from  foreign  lands;  that  capital  engaged  in  manu- 
facturing industries  was  protected  against  outside 
competition  which  employed  cheap  labor,  that  the 
operatives  might  receive  liberal  wages;  that  this  tax 
operated  most  unjustly  on  the  farmer,  by  cutting  off 
his  foreign  market,  because  the  tariff  prevented  his 
exchanging  the  products  of  the  farm  for  the  products 
of  the  foreign  loom  and  workshops;  that  the  farmer 
was  compelled  to  compete  with  the  cheap  labor  of 
other  countries,  which  the  manufacturer  was  pro- 
tected against,  and  forced  to  buy  the  necessaries  of 
life  where  they  commanded  the  highest  price. 

The  young  men  left  the  farm  and  went  into 
business  in  the  city.  The  price  obtained  for  farm 
produce  fell  below  the  cost  of  production.  The  farm 
was  mortgaged  to  raise  money  for  living  expenses. 
Needed  improvements  were  neglected  because  of  the 
lack  of  means  to  make  them.  The  farm-house  and 
out-buildings  commenced  to  decay. 

It  did  not  require  much  longer  than  a  century  of 
such  a  system  of  raising  revenue  and  protecting  cap- 
ital, to  drive  the  farmer  from  the  farm,  lay  waste  his 
improvements,  and  make  his  land  a  desolation,  with 
penury,  want  and  starvation  going  along  with  him. 
Then  the  rich  man's  mansion  went  to  decay;  the 


IX    AX    UNKNOWN'   LAND.  151 

palace  of  royalty  crumbled  to  dust;  temples,  cathe- 
drals, fortifications,  public  buildings,  became  piles  of 
ruins,  and  for  a  thousand  years  that  vast  empire 
knew  not  the  footstep  of  a  human  being,  save  when 
savage  hordes,  pursued  by  other  bands  of  barbarians, 
took  refuge  there.  Some  of  those  savans  insist  that 
the  vast  empire  was  made  desolate  because  the 
Almighty  would  not  permit  a  race  of  people  to  enjoy 
His  bounty  whose  law-givers  did  such  a  wicked  and 
unjust  thing  as  to  force  one  man  to  contribute  a  por- 
tion of  his  earnings  for  another  man's  benefit. 

"When  the  desolation  was  complete  and  every  ves- 
tige of  man's  injustice  to  man  had  been  buried 
beyond  resurrection,  there  came  a  race  of  men  from 
the  far  east  and  took  up  their  abode  amid  that 
desolation.  The  natural  harbors  along  the  sea  coast 
first  attracted  attention.  Then  the  rich  soil  which 
explorations  convinced  them  existed  for  more  than 
two  thousand  miles  inland,  so  impressed  them  with 
the  vast  wealth  which  lay  beneath  the  sod,  that  they 
founded  a  colony  which  developed  into  the  empire, 
now  the  pride  of  the  east. 

The  thrift  and  industry  of  the  people  may  be  traced 
direct  to  a  system  of  government  which  considers  one 
man  just  as  good  as  another  and  no  better.  The 
laws  oppress  no  one.  They  bear  equally  on  all.  The 
burdens  which  a  people  must  shoulder  when  they 
come  out  from  the  darkness  of  barbarism  into  the 
glare  of  civilization,  fall  on  all  alike. 

Thus  discoursed  the  wise  men  of  that  strange 
land. 

When  his  curiosity  had  been  sufficiently  satisfied, 


152       THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

Henry  embarked  on  a  sailing  vessel  destined  for  a 
distant  port,  where,  after  being  detained  a  few  weeks, 
he  took  passage  on  a  ship  bound  for  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land. This  was  a  long  voyage  and  made  longer  by 
the  ship  making  several  stops  to  take  on  merchandise 
and  passengers.  At  one  of  the  ports  several  Ameri- 
cans came  on  board  whose  presence  served  to  shorten 
and  enliven  what  was  promising  to  be  a  long,  tedious 
and  monotonous  journey.  Landing  in  due  time  at 
Glasgow,  the  American  passengers  went  by  rail,  at 
once,  to  Liverpool  and  thence  by  the  steamer,  City  of 
Rome,  to  New  Yorkt 


* 
CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  WILL  IX  COURT. 

Court  in  a  country  town  differs  in  many  respects 
from  court  in  a  large  city.  Three  terms  a  year 
give  just  enough  novelty  to  court  proceedings  to 
make  the  people  look  forward  with  much  interest  to 
the  day  when  court  will  convene.  But  now  unusual 
excitement  prevails  over  a  case  of  more  than  ordi- 
nttry  importance.  The  day  is  fixed  for  the  cause  to 
be  heard.  At  an  early  hour  the  multitude  gather  at 
the  county  seat,  from  all  portions  of  the  county.  It 
does  not  take  long  to  fill  the  court-house  to  over- 
flowing with  an  eager,  anxious,  earnest  crowd  of  men 
aud  women,  most  of  whom  are  farmers,  their  wives 
and  grown-up  sons  and  daughters.  They  mingle 
together  in  groups  and  discuss  the  merits  of  the  case 
to  be  tried.  It  is  evident  that  the  sympathy  is  one- 
sided and  that  the  mass  of  spectators  are  of  one 
mind,  perhaps  for  the  reason  that  it  is  human 
nature  to  take  sides  with  the  cause  of  the  weak,  the 
helpless  and  the  presumably  innocent. 

What  is  known  far  and  near  as  the  great  will  case 
of  Silas  Groundwig  vs.  the  Estate  of  Stephen  Hoi- 
brook  is  set  for  hearing.  Distinguished  lawyers 
from  the  city  have  been  employed  by  each  side.  The 
judge  takes  his  place  on  the  bench,  the  clerk  slips 
into  his  chair  in  front  of  the  judge's  desk,  the  per- 
sons summoned  to  serve  as  jurors  are  called,  and  the 

Ml 


154  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

long  and  tedious  labor  of  securing  a  jury  who  knows 
little  or  nothing  about  the  case  is  at  last  completed, 
the  jurors  are  sworn  to  render  a  true  verdict,  ac- 
cording to  the  law  and  the  evidence  given  them  in 
court,  and  the  case  is  ready  for  the  first  witness. 

By  the  time  this  interesting  point  has  been  reached, 
the  day  is  spent.  The  lawyers  have  exhausted  them- 
selves in  their  efforts  to  preserve  and  promote  the 
legal  rights  of  their  clients.  The  men  presented  for 
jurymen  have  been  catechised  as  to  their  knowledge 
of  the  case,  and  as  to  the  extent  of  their  bias,  if 
any,  for  or  against  either  party.  It  has  been  quite 
difficult  to  obtain  a  jury  composed  entirely  of  citi- 
zens who  have  not  formed  an  opinion  as  to  the  valid- 
ity of  the  will,  nor  heard  the  merits  of  the  case  dis- 
cussed. The  jury,  as  finally  selected,  are  mostly 
farmers,  men  of  intelligence,  possessing  an  ordinary 
amount  of  good  sense,  and  who  are  known  to  be 
fair-minded  and  honest.  The  populace  have  confi- 
dence in  the  jury,  and  believe  that  justice  will  be 
done,  and  their  idea  of  justice  in  this  case  is  a  ver- 
dict in  accordance  with  the  drift  of  public  senti- 
ment. 

Upon  the  adjournment  of  court  the  people  return 
to  their  homes,  coming  again  early  in  the  morning, 
eager  for  the  case  to  begin  and  end.  The  case  has 
been  commenced  by  Mr.  Silas  Groundwig,  the  person 
named  in  the  will  as  principal  legatee,  to  recover  from 
Mary  Holbrook,  the  daughter  of  the  person  making 
the  will,  the  rents  and  profits  coming  into  her  pos- 
session by  reason  of  her  claiming  to  be  the  sole  heir 
at  law  of  her  father's  estate,  there  being  no  will  in 


THE   WILL   IX   COURT.  155 

existence,   as  Miss   Ilolbrook  had   every  reason   to 
believe. 

The  attorney  for  the  plaintiff  Ground  wig,  opened 
the  case  to  the  court  and  jury  in  an  off-hand,  careless, 
conversational  style,  as  though  the  fact  of  the  will 
giving  his  client  the  greater  part  of  Major  Holbrook's 
fortune  was  a  matter  of  very  little  concern  to  any  one 
except  Mr.  Groundwig,  and  while,  under  the  circum- 
sf.ances,  there  might  be  some  of  the  gentlemen  of  the 
jury  who  would  sympathize  with  Miss  Holbrook, 
a  id  deeply  regret  that  her  honored  and  respected 
father  had  not  deemed  it  advisable  to  leave  all  his 
v^alth  to  her,  yet,  on  the  other  hand,  those  same 
.inrors  must  not  forget  that  it  was  truly  a  heroic  act — 
D">ble  and  self-sacrificing  and  worthy  a  brave  and 
j^llant  soldier,  to  be  so  just  and  so  generous  as  to 
remember  in  his  will,  in  such  a  liberal  manner,  a 
comrade  who  had  faced  death  to  save  the  testator's 
1  TC.  Undoubtedly  the  Major  had  his  own  notions 
aoout  bestowing  his  fortune  upon  a  young  girl,  even 
though  that  girl  was  the  fruit  of  his  own  loins,  and 
r>o  doubt,  as  he  had  averred  in  his  will,  it  were  better 
that  she  should  learn  to  earn  her  own  living  and 
thus  be  able  the  better  to  enjoy  such  comforts  and 
pleasures  as  she  should  secure  by  lier  own  efforts. 
Mary  Holbrook  had  not  been  left  penniless.  Far 
from  it.  A  home  with  neat  and  rare  furnishings  was 
hers  to  enjoy  and  hers  to  dispose  of  as  she  might 
desire.  Silas  Groundwig  had  led  a  checkered  life. 
Crippled  on  the  battle-field,  denied  a  pension  because 
he  was  unable  to  procure  evidence  that  his  disability 
was  caused  while  engaged  in  the  military  service,  he 


156  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

had  continued  to  struggle  on  bravely  and  manfully 
against  the  vicissitudes  of  ill  fortune,  until,  in  a  provi- 
dential manner,  he  was  directed  to  the  home  of  his 
old  army  comrade,  whom  he  found  an  invalid,  and  by 
whose  side  he  remained,  ministering  to  his  wants, 
until  the  eyes  of  the  noble-hearted  Major  were  closed 
in  death. 

"  I  now  offer  in  evidence,"  continued  the  attorney, 
"of  the  validity  of  Mr.  Groundwig's  claim  to  the 
late  Major  Holbrook's  estate,  the  will  signed  by 
Stephen  Holbrook  in  the  presence  of  two  witnesses, 
who  signed  their  names  as  such  witnesses  in 
the  testator's  presence  and  at  his  request,  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  requirement  of  law.  As  you 
will  see,  the  will  has  been  properly  probated,  has 
the  seal  of  the  clerk  of  the  probate  court  affixed 
thereto,  and  his  certificate  attached,  to  the  effect  that 
the  attesting  witnesses,  James  Martin  and  Matilda 
Winters  appeared  before  him,  legal  notice  having 
been  given  of  the  time  of  proving  said  will,  and 
made  oath  that  they  did  so  sign  said  will  as  such  wit- 
nesses." 

The  attorney  took  his  seat,  apparently  quite 
exhausted  with  the  effort  he  had  made.  He  wiped 
the  perspiration  from  his  brow,  and  looked  around 
to  see  what  effect  his  opening  of  the  case  had  upon 
the  audience.  The  lawyers  who  appeared  for  Miss 
Holbrook  consulted  together  for  several  minutes. 
The  spectators  looked  dumbf bunded.  Though  for 
months  they  had  known  all  these  things,  though  they 
knew  such  a  will  was  claimed  to  exist,  and  that  it 
appeared  to  be  witnessed  by  Mrs.  Winters,  yet  for  the 


THE  WILL  IN   COURT.  157 

first  time  they  began  to  realize  what  it  all  meant,  and 
what  the  possible  consequences  might  be,  and  how 
much  pretty  Mary  Holbrook,  who,  white  as  a  sheet, 
sat  by  the  side  of  her  lawyers  and  her  lover,  hud  at 
stake  in  the  legal  battle  now  fairly  under  way. 

The  elder  and  most  scholarly-appearing  attorney 
for  Miss  Holbrook,  the  defendant,  slowly  rises  to  his 
feet  and  addresses  the  court.  Perfect  stillness  reigns 
throughout  the  room.  The  lawyer,  in  a  low  but 
quite  musical  voice,  without  any  desire  to  engage  the 
attention  of  any  one  except  the  court  and  jury, 
remarks  that  the  case  is  a  most  singular  one,  and 
will  be  found  full  of  startling  incidents.  He  is  ready 
to  admit  that  the  plaintiff,  Mr.  Groundwig,  has  been 
quite  lucky  to  be  remembered  so  generously  by  Major 
Holbrook,  but  he  thinks  before  the  case  shall  end 
Mr.  Groundwig  will  learn,  and  so  will  the  public  at 
large,  that  Major  Holbrook  was  not  the  ungrateful 
parent  the  making  of  such  a  will  would  prove  him  to 
be.  "While  there  are  many  mysterious,  strange  and 
thrilling  events  connected  with  the  alleged  execution 
of  this  will,  lie  expects  to  prove  to  the  entire  satisfac- 
tion of  court  and  jury,  that  they  are  part  and  parcel  of 
a  deep  and  atrocious  plot — yea,  afoul  and  fiendish 
conspiracy — to  cheat,  defraud  and  swindle  the  young, 
it  and  vivacious  Mary  Ilolbrook  out  of  the  fort- 
une left  by  her  father,  and  designed  for  his  child  and 
for  her  only,  upon  the  event  of  his  death.  Major  Ilol- 
brook loved  his  daughter  as  he  loved  his  life.  Her 
mother  dying  when  Mary  was  a  mere  child,  the 
r  had  becom*  ••  lely  devoted  to  her  welfare 

and  happiness,  uud   he  had  been  heard  to    say    u 


158  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

hundred  times  that  the  only  pleasure  he  had  in  maa  • 
ing  money  was  that  his  daughter  might  enjoy  it,  ai  <i 
he  might  feel  that  when  the  time  came  that  he  couM 
no  longer  care  for  her  she  would  in  nowise  be  depend- 
ent on  her  own  labor  for  means  of  support.  After 
the  war,  Major  Holbrook  came  west  and  brought 
with  him  the  savings  a  generous  country  had  dealt 
out  to  him  for  services  rendered,  and  while  he  culti- 
vated the  soil  and  gathered  his  harvests,  he  was  forf  • 
unate  in  his  investments  and  successful  in  certain 
speculations,  so  that  before  he  reached  middle  ago 
he  had  accumulated  a  large  fortune.  Major  HolbrooK 
died.  A  motherless  child  was  his  only  heir.  There 
was  no  other  living  relative  to  claim  the  smallest  shai-e 
of  the  estate.  Stephen  Holbrook  LEFT  NO  WILL. 

"  If  the  court  please,  and  gentlemen  of  tl,a 
jury,"  proceeded  the  lawyer,  "  I  repeat  it,  and  aui 
ready  to  repeat  it  again  and  again,  Major  Holbrock 
LEFT  KO  WILL.  He  hud  frequently  discussed  tL,j 
subject  with  his  lawyer,  and,  upon  being  informed 
that  his  daughter  would  inherit,  under  the  law,  all 
his  possessions,  the  same  as  she  might  under  his  willj 
he  concluded  a  will  was  not  necessary.  The  docu- 
ment, if  the  court  please,  and  gentlemen  of  the 
jury,  now  submitted  to  this  honorable  court,  and 
claimed  by  Ground  wig  to  be  the  last  will  and  testa- 
ment of  Major  Holbrook,  is  a  base  and  wicked  forg- 
ery. The  plot  is  a  deeply  laid  one.  The  conspirators 
have  done  their  work  well.  With  the  most  consum- 
mate skill,  with  ingenuity  worthy  the  best  brain  o  ' 
the  land,  with  the  most  wonderful  ability  to  conce:»<. 
facts  and  events,  the  plotters  have  so  complete!  > 
drafted,  perfected  and  executed  this  Document,  thott; 


THE   WILL   IX   COURT.  159 

not  until  the  attorneys  were  far  along  in  this  investi- 
gation did  they  become  satisfied  that  the  document 
was  a  forgery.  Xot  only  is  the  late  Major  Holbrookes 
property  at  stake,  but  his  reputation  for  integrity, 
for  truth  and  for  honor,  are  in  the  scales.  For  him 
to  disown  the  child  he  loved  and  adored,  and  to  be- 
queath  to  her  only  a  small  homestead  and  the  few 
things  belonging  to  it,  and  give  to  an  old  army  com- 
rade, if  old  army  comrade  he  was,  because  he  had 
simply  performed  an  act  that  all  brave  soldiers  claim 
the  right  to  perform  without  the  hope  or  expectation 
of  compensation,  the  great  bulk  of  his  large  estate, 
was  an  act  that  would  stamp  Major  Holbrook  as  a 
villain  whose  memory  deserved  universal  execration. 
Major  Holbrook  was  no  villain.  The  evidence  will 
prove  he  was  an  honest  man." 

While  by  no  means  intended,  yet  Lawyer  Hale's 
remarks  produced  a  profound  sensation  throughout 
the  court-room,  and  for  a  moment  or  two  a  buzz 
went  round  the  audience  as  though  every  one  was 
expressing  an  opinion  upon  its  merits. 

"  The  document  offered  in  evidence/'  said  the 
court,  "as  the  last  will  and  testament  of  Major 
Holbrook,  seems  to  have  been  properly  proven,  and  is 
in  conformity  with  the  statutes  of  the  State  in  such 
case  made  and  provided.  Before  proceeding  with 
the  testimony,  the  court  will  pass  upon  the  motion 
to  exclude  this  document  because  it  has  been  pre- 
pared by  a  typewriting  machine  and  hence  is  not  a 
compliance  with  the  law  which  provides  that  wills 
'  must  be  in  writing.'  The  court  is  clearly  of  the 
opinion  that  to  all  intents  and  purposes  the  will  is 
'in  writing.'  The  motion  is  overruled." 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE   EVIDENCE   AXD    THE    JUDGE'S    ADVICE    TO    TBB 
FARMERS. 

Exceptions  were  taken  to  the  ruling,  and  Mr, 
Hale  called  William  Bush  as  the  first  witness.  Mr. 
Bush  was  sworn,  and  took  a  seat  in  the  witness  box, 
and  responding  to  the  usual  questions  answered  that 
he  was  forty-two  years  of  age  and  had  resided  in  the 
county  fifteen  years. 

Ques.  Did  you  ever  know  James  Martin  who^e 
name  is  signed  to  this  alleged  will? 

Ans.     I  did. 

Ques.     How  long  did  you  know  him? 

Ans.     Only  a  few  days. 

Ques.     Were  you  intimate  with  him? 

Ans.     Quite  so,  for  the  short  time  I  knew  him. 

Ques.     Where  is  he  now? 

Ans.     Dead. 

Ques.     When  did  he  die? 

Ans.    August  14,  1882. 

Quick  as  thought,  and  entirely  out  of  order,  and 
for  the  first  time  approaching  anything  of  the 
sensational,  Mr.  Hale  sprang  to  his  feet  and  fairly 
screamed:  "Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  that  will  is  dated 
October  15th,  1882,  two  full  months  after  James 
Martin  died!" 

Upon  this  startling  declaration,  confusion  took 
possession  of  the  audience  and  the  jury,  and  did  not 

160 


THE   EVIDENCE   AKD  THE  JUDGED   ADVICE.      161 

miss  ihe  judge.  It  -was  an  exciting  scene,  in  which 
everybody  took  part.  The  bailiff  rapped  on  his  desk 
and  commanded  silence,  and  when  order  was  restored, 
Mr.  Hale  announced,  with  an  air  of  victory,  to  the 
opposite  counsel,  that  they  might  take  the  witness. 

Ques.  By  Mr.  Newcomb,  one  of  the  attorneys  for 
Groundwig.  Mr.  Bush,  how  do  you  fix  the  date  of 
Mr.  Martin's  death  as  having  occurred  at  the  time 
you  state? 

Ans.  I  keep  a  diary  and  find  it  so  recorded  there. 
My  diary  never  lies.  Besides,  Martin  was  boarding 
with  me  and  in  my  employ,  and  the  diary  shows  the 
day  he  came  as  well  as  the  day  he  died. 

Ques.     Was  he  a  stranger  in  your  neighborhood? 

Ans.     He  was. 

Ques.  How  long  had  he  boarded  and  worked  for 
you? 

Ans.    Ten  days. 

Ques.  May  you  not,  Mr.  Bush,  unintentionally 
and  innocently,  have  made  a  wrong  entry  in  your 
diary  as  to  time? 

Ans.  I  told  you,  sir,  my  diary  never  lies.  James 
Martin  died  on  August  14,  18b2.  I  saw  him  in  his 
coffin.  I  saw  him  in  his  grave. 

Mr.  Hale.     That  is  all.     You  can  step  aside. 

"  The  Rev.  John  Norton  may  be  sworn/'  said  Mr. 
Hale. 

Ques.     Are  you  the  pastor  of  the  First  Lutheran 
Church,  of  Bradford? 
1  am. 

Ques.  What  was  the  date  of  the  organization  of 
that  society? 

U 


162  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

Ans.    January  10,  1883. 

Ques.  Was  there  any  such  society  in  existence  on 
the  15th  day  of  October,  the  date  of  the  alleged 
will? 

Ans.     There  was  not. 

As  the  will  bequeathed  three  thousand  dollars  to 
the  First  Lutheran  Church  of  Bradford,  and  as 
there  was  no  such  society  in  existence  at  the  date  of 
the  will,  the  inference  wo  aid  seem  to  be  that  the 
will  must  have  been  framed  after  the  society  was 
organized,  which  was  after  Major  Holbrook's  death. 

The  witness  was  not  cross-examined. 

"If  the  court  please/' said  Mr.  Hale,  "we  now 
introduce  a  certified  copy  of  the  letters  patent  issued 
for  an  improved  method  of  forming  the  letters  used 
by  the  type-writer.  This  certificate  is  signed  by  the 
commissioner  of  patents,  and  has  attached  the  patent 
office  seal." 

The  plaintiff's  attorneys  object  to  the  introduction 
of  the  certificate,  for  the  reason  that  the  commis- 
sioner of  patents  should  be  brought  into  court,  where 
he  could  be  cross-examined.  The  court  ruled  that 
the  certificate  was  the  best  possible  evidence  to  prove 
when  the  patent  was  issued,  and  the  nature  of  the 
improvement  patented. 

"It  will  be  seen  by  this  certificate,"  continued 
Mr.  Hale,  "  that  the  patent  was  issued  eight  months 
after  the  alleged  will  was  type-written,  and  that  the 
improvement  patented  was  the  style  of  letter  used 
in  copying  the  will." 

The  counsel  for  Groundwig  looked  upon  this  evi- 
dence as  quite  damaging  to  their  case.  The  certifi- 


THE   EVIDENCE   AND   THE   JUDGE'S   ADVICE.       lG3 

cate  may  have  been  a  surprise  to  them,  or  it  may  not. 
Their  client  was  in  no  wise  disturbed,  and  this  fact 
gave  the  counsel  some  encouragement.  Groundwig 
was  certainly  being  pushed  to  the  wall,  and  though  a 
man  of  almost  infinite  resources,  they  were  rapidly 
being  exhausted. 

"  I  now  propose,"  said  Mr.  Hale,  "  if  your  honor 
please,  to  offer  in  evidence  the  dying  declarations  of 
Matilda  Winters.  I  hold  in  my  hand  the  depositions 
of  four  reputable  persons  who  were  present,  and 
heard  all  she  said  in  her  dying  hour." 

This  proposition  was  strenuously  opposed  by  Mr. 
Groundwig's  lawyers,  and  the  motion  was  argued  at 
length  by  the  attorneys  on  both  sides.  The  point 
made  in  opposition  to  admitting  the  declarations, 
was  that  on  her  death-bed  her  mind  wandered  and 
she  was  out  of  her  head,  imagining  she  saw  a  great, 
white  light  which  she  fancied  represented  the  coming 
of  those  better  times  which  the  farmers  in  her 
neighborhood  had  long  looked  for  and  had  long  been 
promised,  and  this  white  light  she  characterized  as 
the  success  of  tariff  reform.  With  her  mind  in  this 
condition,  and  when  she  was  unable  to  understand 
the  meaning  of  questions  put  to  her,  and  when  she 
was  running  on  at  random,  using  meaningless  phrases, 
she  was  asked  what  about  the  will.  Without  com- 
prehending the  full  meaning  of  the  question  or  the 
bearing  her  answer  might  have  on  the  rights  of  Mr. 
Groundwig,  she  replied — what  no  doubt  in  her  lucid 
hours  she  had  made  herself  believe  was  true — "  it  is 
a  forgery." 

The  counsel  contended  that  her  declarations  were 


164  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

simply  the  ravings  of  a  person  in  delirium;  that  s're 
was  wild  and  flighty,  seeing  things  wholly  imaginary 
and  entirely  unnatural.  She  Avas  in  such  a  state  wf 
mental  weakness  that  what  she  said  ought  not  to 
weigh  a  feather  in  determining  the  equities  in  this 
case;  that  the  woman  was  a  fanatic  upon  the  subject 
of  tariff  reform,  and  possessing  but  the  one  idea, 
she  had  harped  upon  it  until  her  mind  was  so  warped 
that  before  she  was  confined  to  her  bed  in  her  last 
illness,  she  would  not  have  been  a  good  witness  in 
open  court,  even  under  oath.  To  admit  as  evidence, 
for  this  jury  to  consider,  declarations  of  that  womtrn 
when  in  such  a  delirious  condition  that  she  did  not 
recognize  her  own  son  who  had  been  absent  on/y 
about  two  years,  was  giving  so  wide  a  scope  to  tl.i« 
law  governing  the  admission  of  death-bed  declar^ 
ations,  as  to  make  the  rule  a  farce. 

The  judge,  in  deciding  the  motion,  remarked  that 
he  had  been  acquainted  with  Matilda  Winters  for  « 
number  of  years;  that  he  knew  her  to  be  a  woman  of 
superior  intelligence,  highly  educated,  and  possessed 
of  a  large  fund  of  good  common  sense.  She  had 
given  the  tariff  question  a  great  deal  of  study  and 
research,  and  her  views  upon  the  subject  had  the 
merit  of  being  sensible  ones,  and  she  embraced  every 
opportunity  to  discuss  the  subject  with  the  farmers, 
and  impress  upon  their  minds  the  fact  that  they  were 
being  robbed  of  their  hard  earnings  by  the  unfair 
system  of  government  taxation.  In  these  -opinions 
she  was  sincere  and  aggressive. 

"I  am  not  ashamed  to  admit,"  continued  the 
judge,  "  that  her  arguments  were  what  first  led  me 


THE  EVIDENCE  AND  THE  JUDGE'S   ADVICE.      165 

to  the  conviction  that  the  present  tariff  is  unjust, 
unfair  and  unequal  in  its  operation;  and  that  it  has 
selected  the  farmer  from  all  the  other  industries  of 
the  land  as  the  especial  object  of  its  oppression  and 
injustice.  Why  the  farmers  do  not  heed  such  teach- 
ings, is  beyond  my  comprehension.  During  the 
twenty  years  I  have  been  on  the  bench  I  have  asso- 
ciated almost  entirely  with  farmers.  I  know  some- 
thing of  their  struggles,  their  sacrifices,  their  toils 
and  their  earnings.  I  have  seen  the  raw  prairies  of 
this  entire  section  of  the  State  converted  into  culti- 
vated farms  by  the  brawny  arms  and  copious  sweat- 
drops  of  the  sturdy  farmer.  I  have  seen  the  farmer, 
8*<  a  class,  realize  less  from  his  investment  and  his 
l^bor  than  was  absolutely  necessary  to  support,  in  a 
comfortable  manner,  himself  and  family.  I  have 
8i>en  the  price  of  his  produce  reduced  from  year  to 
.  year,  until  it  is  questionable  whether  his  land  might 
not  better  lay  idle  than  be  exhausted  in  growing  crops. 
1  have  seen  the  insidious  mortgage  worm  itself  almost 
imperceptibly  into  the  homestead,  and  year  after 
yt»ar  demand,  in  the  way  of  interest,  a  large  share  of 
the  farmer's  net  earnings.  I  have  seen  the  wife  and 
little  ones  deprived  the  comforts  of  life,  that  there 
should  be  no  default  in  the  payment  of  that  interest. 
I  have  seen  the  interest-account  grow  bigger  and 
bigger  year  by  year,  by  reason  of  low  prices  for  farm 
produce,  or  high  prices  for  raiment  and  such  neces- 
saries of  life  as  were  not  produced  on  the  farm,  until 
tl'e  amount  of  the  mortgage  was  increased  from  time 
to  time  to  save  the  farm  from  being  sold  at  sheriff's 


166  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

"I  have  given  the  cause  of  all  these  conditions  the 
most  careful  and  the  most  searching  study,  and  I  say 
now  to  the  jurors  who  are  hearing  this  case — all  of 
whom,  with  one  or  two  exceptions,  are  farmers — and 
to  this  court-room  full  of  spectators — most  of  whom 
earn  their  bread  by  holding  the  plow — that  I  can 
trace  the  cause  of  the  farmer's  adversity  and  his  ill 
fortune,  the  cause  of  his  debts,  the  cause  of  the  mort- 
gage on  the  farm,  the  cause  of  low  prices  for  his 
produce,  and  its  low  purchasing  power  the  cause  of 
his  sons  leaving  home  and  living  in  the  cities  and 
towns,  the  cause  of  the  hollow  cheeks,  thin  lips  and 
pale  face  of  the  wife  of  his  youth,  the  cause  of  so 
faint  a  prospect  in  the  future  for  a  better  condition 
of  all  these  things,  seven  times  out  of  nine,  directly 
to  the  operation  of  the  tariff  laws  of  this  country." 

The  judge  had  grown  quite  eloquent  as  he  pro- 
ceeded with  his  remarks.  The  court-room  was  so 
silent  and  quiet  that  only  the  breathing  of  the  audi- 
ence broke  the  stillness.  Every  eye  was  turned  upon 
the  speaker.  Even  the  lawyers  were  eager  listeners, 
and  some  of  them  were  getting  information  of  the 
gravest  importance  from  an  oracle  that  had  proven 
its  right  to  speak  from  authority. 

But  the  judge  had  not  finished:  "Let  me  say  to 
the  farmers  who  hear  me,  and  I  wish  I  could  be 
heard  by  every  farmer  in  the  district,  that  this  is  not 
a  party  question.  When  you  are  being  robbed  of  not 
only  your  earnings,  but  your  farms,  it  is  not  the 
part  of  wisdom  or  good  sense  or  justice  to  your  fami- 
lies, to  say  that  if  you  resist  the  robbers  and  disarm 
them,  you  weaken  your  party!  "What  does  party  care 


THE   EVIDENCE   AND  THE   JUDGE'S  ADVICE.      167 

for  you  when  it  grinds  you  to  the  earth  and  takes 
from  you,  in  the  name  of  law,  the  fruits  of  your 
labor?  I  am  astonished  every  day  of  my  life  that  the 
farmers  do  not  see  the  iniquity  of  this  tax,  which,  in 
law,  is  called  a  tariff,  and  unite  as  one  man  to  reduce 
it  to  such  a  basis  that  only  enough  money  shall  be 
derived  from  it,  in  connection  with  the  internal 
revenue,  to  pay  the  expenses  of  the  government.  For 
the  law  to  lay  its  strong  arm  on  you  and  take  from 
you,  or  from  anybody  else,  a  dollar  more  than  such  ex- 
penses, no  matter  what  the  pretext  may  be,  is  robbery, 
pure  and  simple.  Doing  it  in  the  name  of  law  does 
not  make  it  any  the  less  robbery. 

"  I  do  not  hold  a  term  of  court,  and  I  am  hearing 
cases  at  least  nine  months  in  the  year,  but  decrees 
are  entered  on  my  docket  for  the  foreclosure  of 
mortgages  on  forty  or  fifty  farms,  not  one  out  of  ten 
of  which  in  my  opinion  would  have  been  sold  by  the 
sheriff,  were  it  not  for  the  high  protective  tariff — were 
it  not  for  the  farmer  being  compelled  to  take  a  part 
of  his  earnings  out  of  his  pocket  and  put  them 
in  the  pocket  of  some  person  who  had  no  moral 
right  to  them. 

"  Almost  invariably  these  farms  are  owned  by  hard- 
working, industrious  men,  who  have  toiled  from  early 
manhood  to  middle-age, perseveringly  and  persistently 
to  make  a  home  for  themselves  in  their  declining 
years,  and  to  help  the  boys  start  farms  of  their  own, 
only  in  the  end  to  run  against  a  foreclosure  of 
mortgage,  a  sale  by  the  sheriff,  and  when  most 
entitled  to  rest  and  a  home,  earned  over  and  over 
again,  compelled  to  tro  further  west  and  rtart  life 
anew, 


168       THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

"Do  you  farmers  receive  an}"  protection  from  the 
tariff?  It  is  simply  impossible  that  you  should, 
because  the  foreigner  does  not  come  here  and  sell  his 
wheat,  corn,  pork  and  cattle,  in  competition  Avith 
you  and  you  are  told  that  the  tariff  on  manufactured 
goods  is  for  the  express  purpose  of  preventing  the 
foreigner  from  coming  to  this  country  and  selling  his 
goods,  because  were  it  not  for  the  tariff  he  could 
sell  them  to  you  cheaper  than  the  home  manu- 
facturer can.  Thus  you  are  bled  at  every  turn 
you  make  and  in  every  vein  and  every  artery.  You 
have  to  compete  with  all  the  world  in  selling  your 
produce,  and  then  you  are  not  only  prohibited  from 
going  where  you  can  buy  the  necessaries  of  life  the 
cheapest,  but  you  are  compelled  to  pay  a  tax  on  nearly 
CA-ery  article  you  do  buy,  and  the  greater  part  of  that 
tax  goes  to  protect  some  capitalist  who  makes  the 
government  believe  he  could  not  prosper  in  his  busi- 
ness unless  you  donated  some  of  your  earnings  to  him. 
The  worst  of  it  is  the  farmers  seem  to  like  it. 
At  any  rate  you  look  on  quite  unconcernedly  and 
refuse  to  protest  against  such  injustice,  because  to 
do  so  might  hurt  your  party.  • 

"Go  home  farmers,  andaskyonr  wives  and  children 
if  they  would  not  prefer  more  of  the  necessaries  and 
luxuries  and  comforts  of  life  than  the  success  of 
your  party?  Ask  them  if  they  can  discoArer  any- 
thing to  rejoice  over  in  the  fhip,hip,  hurrah*  of  a  suc- 
cessful party,  when  they  know  such  cheers  are  the 
forerunners  of  the  dismal  shout  of  'going,  going,  gone' 
of  the  county  sheriff  ? 

"Upon  this  all-absorbing  subject  of  tariff  reform 


THE   EVIDENCE   AND   THE   JUDGE'S   ADVICE.      169 

Matilda  Winters  may  have  been  an  enthusiast.  She 
was  not  a  fanatic.  In  her  life  she  spoke  the  words 
of  wisdom,  and  dying  she  spoke  the  words  of 
prophecy.  I  do  not  understand  it  was  a  vision  Mrs. 
'Winters  saw  on  her  death-bed.  She  was  not  relating 
to  the  sobbing  mourners  an  idle  dream  ;  nor  was  she 
delirious  ;  nor  was  she  insensible  to  everything  that 
was  going  on  around  her.  I  'am  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  in  those  dying  moments  there  was  clearly 
rovealed  to  her  a  picture  of  the  farmer's  condition 
when  tariff  reform  shall  have  done  its  glorious  work. 
Knowing  her  end  was  near,  she  summed  up  and 
graphically  described  the  scenes  she  believed  would 
follow  the  resurrection  of  that  crowning  principle  of 
free  government,  that  one  man  should  not  be  taxed 
for  another  man's  benefit. 

"  The  second  point  made  by  counsel  for  Ground  wig 
ib  that  Mrs.  Winters  could  not  have  been  in  her  right 
mind  at  the  moment  she  declared  the  will  a  forgery, 
because  she  at  once  added,  '  not  my  s — ,'  meaning 
'not  my  signature'  or  'not  my  son.'  She  could 
have  meant  either.  If  she  meant  it  was  not  her  sig- 
nature, it  is  claimed,  she  could  not  have  been  in  her 
right  mind,  because  it  is  in  evidence  that  she  had 
frequently  declared  it  was  her  signature,  and  in  fact 
the  counsel  for  Miss  Holbrook  admit  it  is  her  signa- 
ture. So  she  must  have  referred  to  the  young  man 
who  had  suddenly  appeared  upon  the  scene  and 
addressed  the  dying  woman  as  mother.  It  is  in  evi- 
dence that  she  had  grasped  his  hand  in  tender  and 
motherly  recognition,  but  when  uttering  her  dying 
words  she  unloosed  her  hold  and  turned  her  eyes 


170  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

from  him  saying,  '  not  my  s — /  meaning  'he  is  not 
my  son/  It  is  claimed  the  woman  could  not  have 
been  conscious  and  in  her  right  mind  if  unable  to 
recognize  her  son,  who  had  been  spirited  away  under 
the  most  mysterious  circumstances,  and  who  had  just 
returned  after  an  absence  of  only  about  two  years. 
It  is  contended  that  failure  to  recognize  her  son,  or 
rather  the  declaration  that  he  was  not  her  son,  is  con- 
clusive evidence  that  her  mind  was  not  in  that  state 
of  positive  clearness  that  would  justify  the  court  in 
ruling  that  her  declaration  as  to  the  will  being  '  a 
forgery/  made  in  the  same  breath,  was  permissible 
as  evidence. 

"  The  court  admits,  with  counsel,  that  the  point 
made  has  an  important  bearing  on  the  admissibility 
of  her  dying  declaration  touching  the  will,  because 
if  her  inability  to  recognize  her  son  came  from  loss 
of  memory,  and  consequent  loss  of  mental  power, 
then  her  statement  that  the  will  is  a  forgery  must 
have  been  made  under  a  similar  condition  of  mind, 
and  hence  would  not  be  admissible. 

"  It  must  be  remembered  that  her  son  had  hurried 
into  her  presence  from  a  long  journey  by  sea  and 
land  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  gaze  upon  his 
mother's  face  for  one  moment  before  the  vital  spark 
ha'd  fled.  His  clothes  were  dusty,  his  face  unshaven, 
his  hair  disheveled;  he  had  been  shipwrecked  in  mid- 
ocean,  exposed  for  months,  on  water  and  on  shore, 
to  the  hot  rays  of  a  tropical  sun  and  the  burning 
breezes  of  tropical  winds.  Others  shrank  back  at 
his  coming,  and  for  several  moments  those  who  had 
known  him  well  failed  to  recognize  him.  His 


THE    EVIDENCE   AND  THE  JUDGE'S  ADVICE.      17! 

mother,  who  had  been  advised  of  his  coming,  ex- 
pected to  see  the  boy  as  he  was  when  she  saw  him  last, 
in  the  flush  of  health,  fair-faced  and  comely,  his 
personal  appearance  unchanged;  and  so  painfully 
disappointed  was  the  poor  woman  at  the  change 
exposure  had  wrought  that  she  naturally  gave  utter- 
ance to  the  belief  that  it  was  not  her  son. 

"  In  that  declaration  there  was  a  use  of  memory 
which  is  the  best  evidence  of  a  sound  mind.  She 
could  not  so  quickly  compare  the  appearance  of  the 
young  man  at  her  bedside  with  the  boy  stolen  from 
his  home  some  two  years  before  without  the  exercise 
of  her  mental  faculties.  Tinder  such  circumstances, 
the  fact  that  she  did  not  recognize  her  son  is,  in  the 
opinion  of  the  court,  better  evidence  of  the  unim- 
paired condition  of  her  mind  than  if  she  had  recog- 
nized him.  The  court  would  sooner  believe  the 
impossible  alternative  that  it  was  not  her  son  than 
to  think  that  the  failure  to  recognize  him  was  evi- 
dence that  her  mind  was  impaired. 

"  Whether  on  her  death-bed,  weak  and  emaciated, 
with  failing  heart  and  feeble  pulse,  with  strength 
enough  remaining  to  tell  the  friends  around  her 
couch  of  the  great  blessings  enshrined  within  the 
tariff  reform,  and  referring  to  that  reform  as  a  great 
white  light  whose  coming  would  bring  prosperity  and 
happiness  to  the  tillers  of  the  soil  and  to  all  the  land; 
or  whether  in  the  enjoyment  of  robust  health,  telling 
her  neighbors  those  plain,  blunt  truths  about  the 
curse  of  the  tariff;  the  court  believes  she  was  in 
her  right  mind  and  that  the  declarations  made  by 
her  on  her  death-bed,  in  regard  to  the  alleged  will, 


172  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

are  admissible  as  evidence  and  entitled  to  the  same 
weight  by  the  jury  as  though  she  were  present  and 
testifying  under  oath. 

"I  hold  in  my  hand,"  continued  the  court,  "a 
roll  of  hermetically  sealed  manuscript,  said  to  have 
been  written  by  Mrs.  Winters  a  few  hours  before  her 
death,  and  found  on  her  person  after  her  decease; 
accompanying  it  is  a  sealed  envelope  addressed 
to  the  judge  of  the  court  of  this  district.  On  the 
outside  of  the  roll  are  the  written  words,  'these 
seals  to  be  broken  and  this  manuscript  to  be  read  in 
open  court  on  the  trial  of  the  will  case  of  Ground- 
wig  vs.  Holbrook/  I  know  of  no  more  proper  time 
than  now,  to  open  the  letter  and  read  its  contents: 

"  To  THE  HONORABLE  JUDGE  OF  COURT. 

"My  Dear  Sir: — The  roll  of  manuscript  is  the  story  of  my 
life,  briefly  told.  It  has  been  prepared  at  times  when  failing 
health  admonished  me  I  had  not  long  to  live,  and  it  has  been 
completed  since  my  physician  has  told  me  I  shall  not  see 
another  sun  set.  As  I  can  not  live  to  attend  the  trial  of  the 
will  case,  and  as  my  lips  are  sealed  even  were  I  to  attend,  I  ask 
in  justice  to  my  reputation  and  my  honor  that  the  narrative  I 
have  prepared  be  read  in  court  and  admitted  as  the  evidence 
I  could  give  were  I  relieved  of  the  binding  obligations  of  the 
oath  I  have  taken.  I  swore  not  to  speak  while  living.  I  pray 
God  to  give  me  strength  to  speak  while  dying. 

"MATILDA  WINTERS. 

"I  do  not  care  to  hear  counsel  upon  the  subject 
now.  The  court  is  aware  that  many  objections  could 
be  urged  against  reading  the  paper  in  court,  unless, 
upon  examination,  it  was  found  to  be  such  a  docu- 
ment as  was  admissible  under  the  rule  laid  down  in 
relation  to  dying  declarations.  The  court  will  read 


THE  EVIDENCE   AND  THE  JUDGE'S  ADVICE.      178 

the  manuscript,  and  decide  upon  its  admissibility  at 
the  opening  of  the  morning  session/' 

The  judge  took  the  roll  to  his  room.  He  read  it 
through  with  absorbing  interest,  and  laid  it  carefully 
away.  But  not  carefully  enough.  For  hardly  had 
the  learned  judge  retired  for  the  night  when  the 
document  was  mysteriously  conveyed  to  a  newspaper 
office  near  by,  quickly  parceled  out  in  "takes"  to  a 
dozen  compositors,  put  into  type,  and  before  daylight 
returned  to  the  receptacle  from  which  it  was  taken. 
As  will  be  seen  by  the  reader,  Mrs.  Winter's  state- 
ment threw  a  flood  of  light  on  the  mysteries  which 
had  enshrouded  and  embittered  her  life. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

THE  THBILLINQ  STOBY  TOLD  BY  MRS.  WIXTEES. 

"To-night,  if  heaven  gives  me  strength,  I  propose 
to  prepare  a  statement  of  all  the  incidents  and  events 
connecting  me  in  any  way  with  signing  the  docu- 
ment which  purports  to  be  the  will  of  Stephen  Hoi- 
brook.  I  know  I  have  not  long  to  live,  and  I  write 
almost  in  the  presence  of  my  Maker,  and  I  feel  that 
what  I  say  should  have  the  same  weight  in  court 
that  my  evidence  would  have  if  I  were  present  and 
sworn  to  tell  only  the  truth. 

"When  Major  Holbrook  was  taken  sick,  hisphy?i- 
cian  thought  he  could  not  recover,  but  by  skilled 
nursing  and  tender  care  his  life  might  be  prolonged 
for  some  weeks.  His  daughter  plead  with  me  to 
come  to  her  home  and  assist  her  in  ministering  to  the 
wants  of  the  sick  man.  I  felt  it  my  duty  to  go. 
Would  the  rest  of  my  life  have  been  different  had  I 
not  gone?  Heaven  only  knows. 

"I  had  hardly  settled  down  in  my  new  home  when 
the  events  happened  which  I  am  now  about  to  relate 
— events  which  have  filled  my  cup  of  sorrow  to  the 
brim,  and  events  which  are  hastening  me  to  my 
grave. 

"One  morning  there  was  a  rap  at  the  door.  I 
opened  it,  and  without  an  invitation  on  my  part,  in 
walked  a  strange  man,  whom  I  did  not  remember  to 
have  seen  before.  A  coarse,  heavy  black  beard  covered 

274 


STORY  TOLD    Bi    MRS.    \VIXT1  175 

almost  his  entire  face,  leaving  only  his  dark  eyes  in 
sight.  He  looked  nervously  about  the  room,  stroked 
his  beard  as  if  to  be  sure  that  it  was  still  there,  and 
whispered:  ^. 

"  '  Susan  Groundwig,  don't  you  know  me?'  Though 
only  a  whisper,  it  was  enough.  Human  disguises 
could  not  change  that  voice.  Involuntarily  I  started 
up  as  if  to  give  an  alarm.  He  caught  me  by  the  wrist 
and  exclaimed  in  a  whisper  which  sounded  like  a 
voice  from  the  cave  of  demons: 

"  'Don't  scream,  or  call  a  servant,  or  arouse  any 
one  about  the  house.  I  see  you  know  who  I  am. 
But  give  an  alarm,  even  make  a  motion  to  call  for 
help,  and  I  will  tell  a  tale  of  your  dishonor  and  the 
birth  of  an  illegitimate  son,  that  will  drive  you  from 
Major  Holbrook's  house  and  make  you  a  hateful  hag, 
now  and  forever,  in  the  sight  of  his  daughter,  and 
make  your  son — but  don't  try  to  speak.  Don't  think 
that  people  will  not  believe  me.  The  bad  spoken  of 
another  always  finds  listeners  and  never  lacks  believers. 
I  have  not  forgotten  to  bring  the  proof.  These  papers 
tell  it  all.  You  want  to  say  they  are  forged.  But 
what  matters  that?  They  appear  all  right  and  that 
is  enough.  I  shall  not  use  them  now.  I  may  later 
on.  What  I  want  now  is  for  you  to  obtain  me  a 
situation  as  watcher  or  nurse  for  Major  Holbrook 
during  his  sickness.  I  know  you  will  conceal  from 
everybody  my  name  and  my  relationship  to  you.  A 
place  in  Major  Holbrook's  employ  I  must  have.  That 
obtained,  as  it  will  be,  and  you  prove  treacherous  to 
me  in  the  slightest  manner,  or  even  intimate  a  sus- 
picion that  I  am  not  what  I  shall  claim  to  Major 


176  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

Holbrook  to  be,  I  will  give  your  history — yes,  tlrts 
forged  history,  not  only  to  him,  but  I  will  tell  it  to  his 
daughter  and  to  this  entire  neighborhood.  Do  we 
understand  each  other?' 

"During  the  time  that  Silas  Groundwig  was  pour- 
ing his  cruel  words  into  myea»s,  I  was  almost  stupe- 
fied with  terror,  and  it  may  be  with  shame.  Shocked 
beyond  words  can  tell  at  his  wicked  and  false  insinua- 
tions, I  saw  there  was  but  one  way  now  to  act,  and 
that  was  to  promise  to  comply  with  his  request  and 
trust  that  Providence  might  rescue  me  from  the  ter- 
rible spell  that  man  seemed  to  have  over  me.  I  gave 
the  promise.  I  could  not  do  otherwise.  I  was  nt 
his  mercy.  Not  because  I  was  guilty,  but  because  I 
was  a  woman,  because  I  loved  my  son  so  passionately 
and  because  there  was  no  sacrifice  too  great  for  me 
to  make  for  his  happiness  and  that  of  Mary  Hoi- 
brook. 

"Silas  Groundwig  was  taken  into  Major  Holbrook's 
employ.  With  all  the  stains  upon  his  name  he  had 
never  changed  it.  I  had  changed  mine.  Was  I  the 
greater  criminal? 

"  Groundwig  at  once  made  himself  busy  and  useful 
by  the  bedside  of  the  sick  man.  He  was  strong  ard 
muscular,  and  could  so  easily  lift  the  Major  from 
the  bed,  and  was  so  ready  to  anticipate  his  every 
want  and  minister  to  them,  that  I  was  in  mortal 
dread  of  his  planning  some  great  crime,  and  that  the 
fast  failing  invalid  was  to  be  the  victim.  I  dared 
not  make  known  my  suspicions.  To  do  so  would 
throw  me  into  his  clutches,  and  three  hearts  might 
ache  and  starve  for  the  want  of  love,  and  three  lives 


StOBY  TOLD  BY  MRS.   WIXTEBS.  177 

might  be  sacrificed.  When  my  fears  were  the  most 
aroused,  just  at  the  time  when  I  had  determined  to 
call  the  village  pastor  to  advise  me,  Major  Holbrook 
died.  He  died  a  natural  death.  I  was  so  afraid 
there  was  a  tragedy  near  at  hand.  If  one  was  con- 
templated greater  than  the  terrible  crime  that  was 
afterward  committed,  then  did  a  kind  Providence 
stay  the  hand  that  would  have  perpetrated  it. 

"  My  friends  all  know  the  strange  and  mysterious 
events  that  followed  a  few  weeks  after  Major  Hoi- 
brook's  death.  They  know  my  boy  was  stolen  from 
me  and  sent  a  long  voyage  to  distant  foreign  shores, 
but  they  know  nothing  of  who  did  this  great  crime 
and  the  motive  for  doing  it.  I  will  undertake  to 
tell  the  thrilling  story,  though  I  may  not  live  to 
finish  it: 

"The  funeral  ceremony  over,  Silas  Ground  wig  took 
his  departure  without  seeking  an  interview  with  me. 
For  that  kindness  I  was  exceedingly  glad.  Would 
he  return?  Why  should  he  return?  Was  there  any- 
thing more  he  could  return  for?  And  yet,  why 
should  he  not  come  back  and  complete  the  work  he 
had  in  view.  He  had  evidently  been  baffled  in  carry- 
ing out  the  scheme  that  prompted  him  to  seek  em- 
ployment with  Major  Holbrook.  My  womanly  fears 
led  me  to  believe  that  his  work  with  me  was  not  yet 
finished.  I  thought  I  imagined  the  worst  that  could 
befall  me,  and  yet,  of  all  the  cruel  things  I  conjured 
in  my  mind  that  he  might  attempt,  I  fell  so  far  short 
of  what  did  happen  that  I  pictured  him  a  saint 
while  the  crime  he  committed  would  put  to  shame 
the  deeds  of  devils  thrice  damned. 

12 


178  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

"  The  time  came  for  Henry  to  graduate.  Mary, 
whose  eyes  were  always  full  of  tears,  concluded  not 
to  attend  the  commencement  exercises.  I  wonder  if 
she  had  fears  that  the  essay  would  not  be  equal  to 
her  anticipations,  for  I  know  she  expected  her  lover 
would  earn  the  highest  honors.  I  went,  and  if  ever 
mother  was  proud  of  her  son  I  was  proud  of  mine. 
How  my  heart  thrilled  with  delight  and  gratification 
to  hear  him  advocate  and  defend  the  principles  I  had 
instilled  into  his  youthful  mind.  His  tutors  had 
taught  him  the  art  of  embellishing  and  beautifying 
the  homely  truths  he  had  learned  at  the  farmer's 
hearthstone.  His  subject  was  one  which  was  com- 
manding the  attention  of  the  nation;  and  when  I 
heard  that  great  audience  of  intelligent  farmers,  who 
had  assembled  there  from  all  parts  of  the  State,  ap- 
plaud the  sentiments  my  boy  uttered,  I  thanked 
heaven  I  had  lived  to  see  the  day  when  the  men  that 
tilled  the  soil  showed  so  much  interest  in  the  subject 
of  tariff  reform. 

"  Henry  returned  home  with  me.  It  is  a  great  sat- 
isfaction now  for  me  to  know  that  the  few  weeks  he 
remained  with  me  and  Mary  were  the  happiest  and 
gladdest  days  of  all  our  lives.  There  was  too  much 
of  heaven  in  them  to  last  long.  It  did  not  take  the 
destroyer"  long  to  break  in  upon  our  pleasures  and 
turn  all  to  grief  and  sadness  and  tears. 

"  Silas  Groundwig  came.  I  knew  he  would.  I 
knew  too  well  when  my  son  returned  no  more  to  his 
home  that  the  hand  of  that  monster  was  again  laid 
upon  my  heart.  From  the  moment  of  Henry's  dis- 
appearancel  connected  Groundwig  with  the  cause.  So 


STORY  TOLD   BY   MRS,    WINTERS.  179 

when  the  creature  came,  he  came  uot  unexpected.  I 
half  welcomed  him,  because  I  knew  he  could  give  me 
tidings  of  my  boy.  Tidings  that  the  wolf  gives  of 
the  lamb! 

"One  day  I  awoke,  horrified  at  a  dreadful  dream  that 
was  almost  too  real  to  be  a  dream.  But  my  dream 
was  bliss  compared  to  the  wakening,  for  there,  seated 
in  a  chair  by  my  side  was  Grounclwig.  I  sat  motion- 
less, and  even  fearless,  awaiting  the  coming  of  the 
bolt.  It  came.  Not  quick,  as  from  the  darkest, 
blackest,  fiercest  cloud,  but  slowly,  nicasuredly,  with 
unerring  aim,  to  torture  and  to  kill.  It  came  from 
a  foul  fiend  incarnate,  and  ere  it  had  done  its  des- 
perate work,  the  bolt  pierced  my  heart  and  burned 
my  soul  to  ashes.  Yet,  there  was  enough  of  life  left 
me  to  speak.  He  could  tell  me  of  my  boy.  That, 
knowledge  was  life. 

" '  Silas  Ground  wig,  what  have  you  done  with  my 
boy?' 

"How  I  shuddered  and  trembled  at  the  sound  of  my 
voice.  What  a  question  to  ask  such  a  monster,  and 
yet,  only  such  a  monster  could  answer  it.  I  used  no 
epithet.  I  did  not  call  upon  the  God  of  Justice  to 
strike  the  creature  dead.  I  made-no  woman's  plea, 
no  mother's  entreaty,  no  beseeching  prayer,  but  I  sat 
there  like  a  prisoner  in  the  dock,  waiting  to  know 
my  fate. 

"Groundwig  had  not  spoken  a  word,  nor  did  his  pale, 
ashen  lips  part  even  the  width  of  a  whisper,  but  from 
an  inside  pocket  of  his  threadbare  coat  he  drew 
forth  a  folded  sheet  of  paper,  and,  handing  it  to  me, 
motioned  me  to  read  it.  How  I  composed  myself 


180        THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

sufficiently  to  unfold  that  sheet,  and  howl  found 
strength  to  read  it,  I  never  could  understand.  It  is 
all  a  blank  now.  I  know  I  read  the  letter.  I  hare 
it  before  me: 

"MY  DEAR  MOTHER:  I  am  a  prisoner  in  a  cave.  I  am 
tortured  almost  to  the  death.  My  jailers  are  desperate  aud 

[Here  a  word  is  obliterated].     My  tormentors  threaten 

to  kill  me  by  inches.  I  have  been  permitted  to  write  one  let 
ter  giving  you  the  particulars  of  my  being  kidnaped,  but  I 
fear  it  never  reached  you.  I  feel  I  am  held  here  for  a  ransom. 
I  am  permitted  to  send  you  these  few  words,  and  no  more. 
My  God,  must  I  die  here  ? 

"Your  affectionate  son, 

"  HENRY  WINTERS. 

"  I  must  have  fainted  with  the  reading  of  the  letter, 
because  when  consciousness  returned  I  found  myself 
lying  on  the  lounge  and  Groundwig  bathing  my  tei/i- 
ples  with  cold  water.  Heaven  permitted  him  to  do 
that  act,  and  heaven  compelled  me  to  submit.  My 
confused  mind  seemed  to  be  struggling  between  indig- 
nation and  contempt  for  the  creature  before  me,  and 
loving  pity  and  tender  compassion  for  my  tortured 
son.  I  need  not  say  which  prevailed.  The  hopeful 
thought  that  I  might  again  buy  my  son's  freedom 
came  quickly  to  my  mind.  The  well-stocked  farm 
was  mine  and  was  soon  to  be  my  boy's.  I  had  money 
in  the  bank.  '  All,  all  was  now  the  merest  dross  in 
my  sight,  and  Groundwig  could  have  it  all,  and  I 
even  began  to  look  upon  him  as  a  mild-mannered, 
well-disposed,  honest  gentleman,  who  would  oblig- 
ingly take  all  my  earthly  goods  and  in  return  bring 
back  my  son.  Thus  encouraged,  I  almost  gleefully 
asked  him  what  price  he  had  fixed  for  my  boy's  raw- 
som. 


STORY  TOLD   BY   MRS.    WINTERS.  181 

"  '  Madam/  he  answered,  ' I  am  glad  to  know  you 
aie  such  a  matter-of-fact  woman,  and  that  you  so 
sensibly  come  right  down  to  business.  Your  son  is 
my  prisoner,  but  he  is  not  mine  alone.  I  am  still  at 
the  mercy  of  others,  I  have  some  heart  and  a  little 
manhood  left.  They  have  none  of  either.  They  want 
gold,  and  have  been  promised  it.  I  want  gold,  and 
am  playing  a  desperate  game  to  get  it.  You  can  help 
me  to  carry  out  my  plans,  obtain  the  gold  and  regain 
ymr  son/ 

"'I  understand  you/  I  said,  interrupting  him, 
'  uid  am  willing  to  accede  to  your  wishes.  The 
r*>ady  money  I  have  I  can  arrange  to  hand  you  in  a 
ctay  or  two.  This  farm  I  can  sell  for  a  good  round 
sum  at  any  time,  and  for  cash.  I  will  proceed  this 
day  and  make  the  sale.  You  come  at  this  hour  day 
atter  to-morrow,  or  a  later  day  if  you  require  more 
time,  bring  with  you  my  son,  and  the  money  I  have 
on  hand  and  the  proceeds  from  the  sale  of  the  farm 
shall  be  paid  you.  I  will  give  no  alarm.  I  will  make 
no  human  being  my  confidant.  I  will  not  seek  your 
arrest.  I  will  put  no  detective  on  your  track.  The 
object  of  your  coming  here  shall  be  known  to  none 
other  than  Henry  and  myself.  When  you  shall 
return  and  be  ready  to  depart  I  will  not  watch  your 
going,  nor  seek  in  any  manner  to  give  you  trouble, 
but  will  wish  you  a  speedy  and  pleasant  meeting  with 
your  comrades,  only  asking  that  our  parting  shall  be 
forever  and  ever.  What  I  promise,  you  have  the 
pledge  made  on  an  honest  woman's  honor,  shall  be 
religiously  fulfilled/ 

"  ' Mrs.  Groundwig/  he  replied,  'you  do  not  quite 


182        THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

understand  me.     I   do  not  want  your  gold,  I  want 
your  name.' 

"Good  heavens!  What  could  he  mean  ?— don't 
want  my  gold,  but  wants  my  name— my  name!  What 
can  he  wan-t  of  my  name  ?  How  can  my  name  release 
my  imprisoned  boy?" 


'CHAPTER  XXI. 
GROUXDWIG'S  INFAMOUS  DEMAND. 

"  '  Mrs.  Ground  svig,  you  seem  surprised.  I  do  not 
wonder  at  it.  But  it  is  time  this  almost  tragic  inter- 
view was  brought  to  a  close.  I  will  explain  my 
meaning  so  clearly  that  you  will  not  fail  to  understand 
it.  Madam,  this  document  which  I  hold  in  my 
hand,  and  now  exhibit  to  you,  is  the  last  will  and 
testament  of  Major  Holbrook.  Don't  start.  If  you 
scream  no  ofle  will  hear  you,  and  if  any  one  did,  it 
might  be  all  the  worse  for  you.  I  say  that,  to  all  in- 
teats  and  purposes,  as  far  as  you  and  I  are  concerned, 
this  document  is  Holbrookes  will.  No  matter  if  you 
ai-e  prepared  to  say  that  you  know  he  never  made 
one.  What  you  know  does  not  count  now.  This  is 
a  good  enough  will  for  my  purpose.  Will  you  read 
it?  No.  Then  I  will  tell  you  that  it  bequeaths  to 
me,  the  preserver  of  his  life  on  the  battle-field,  and 
his  faithful  friend  who  ministered  to  his  wants  during 
his  last  sickness,  all  the  property  he  owned  at  his 
death,  except  the  homestead  which  he  bequeaths  to 
his  daughter  Mary,  and  a  few  bequests  he  makes  to 
certain  religious  institutions.' 

"  My  blood  was  boiling  hot.  I  could  hear  no  more. 
Enraged  almost  beyond  reason,  I  bade  the  monster 
leave  my  house.  '  Liar,  villain,  scoundrel/  I  ex- 
claimed, thrusting  my  clenched  fist  into  his  very 
face,  'your  infamous  claim  surpasses  human  in- 

183 


184  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

genuity.  Are  you  a  fiend  from  hell  that  yon  can 
do  this  thing?  Can't  the  Almighty  prevent  an 
imp  of  darkness  from  visiting  this  earth,  assum- 
ing  the  shape  of  man,  and,  unmolested,  perpetrate 
the  crime  you  contemplate?  Go,  Silas  Groundwig, 
begone,  and  never  again  befoul  the  air  I  breathe  with 
your  hateful  presence/ 

"No  sooner  had  I  given  utterance  to  the  thoughts 
that  were  driving  me  mad,  than  a  glance  at  the  letter  I 
still  held  in  my  hand  brought  me  to  a  realizing  sense  of 
my  utter  helplessness  to  rescue  my  son  otherwise  than 
through  the  intervention  of  the  fiend  that  stood  before 
me.  In  his  hands  was  the  fate  of  my  boy.  Ground  - 
wig  comprehended  the  full  meaning  of  this  fact  far 
better  than  I  did.  He  made  no  attempt  to  inter- 
rupt me.  He  listened  to  my  fierce  tirade  as  though 
he  expected  it,  and  it  moved  him  no  more  than  if  he 
were  stone  and  I  a  child.  Perceiving  I  had  finished 
because  I  had  exhausted  my  strength  in  hurling 
upon  him  my  string  of  epithets,  and  yet  without 
noticing  anything  I  had  said,  he  continued: 

"  '  Susan  Groundwig,  you  come  far  short  of  under- 
standing the  object  of  my  visit  here.  Do  you  think 
I  came  to  tell  you  of  my  good  fortune,  expecting  you 
would  congratulate  me  upon  such  good  luck?  I 
have  told  you  this  is  Major  Holbrook's  will.  So  it 
is,  but  it  lacks  one  essential  feature  to  make  it  legal, 
and  that  is  another  signature.  You  will  see  Major 
Holbrook's  name  there  in  its  proper  place;  you  have 
seen  him  write  his  name  often  and  no  doubt  you  rec- 
ognize the  signature  as  genuine.  No  matter  whether 
you  do  or  not,  you  see  there  is  but  one  attesting  wit- 


GROUNDWIG'S  INFAMOUS  DEMAND.         185 

ness.  The  law  requires  two.  Major  Holbrook  died 
before  the  second  witness  could  be  summoned.  You 
were  present  during  his  last  sickness.  The  whole 
neighborhood  knows  that  fact.  What  more  appro- 
priate- than  that  you  should  be  the  other  witness? 
Don't  wring  your  hands,  and  pray  do  save  your  tears. 
Business  now,  not  sentiment.  Put  your  name  on 
this  paper"  as  a  witness,  then,  on  the  day  fixed  for 
probating  the  will,  go  with  my  attorney  to  the  pro- 
bate clerk  and  make  oath  that  you  signed  your  name 
in  Major  Holbrook's  presence,  at  his  request  and  in 
the  presence  of  the  gentleman  whose  name  you  see 
there  as  one  of  the  witnesses.  Sign  this  oath,  pledg- 
ing yourself  never  to  appear  in  court  to  contradict 
the  evidence  you  give  before  the  clerk,  and  swear 
you  will  never,  to  your  dying  day,  divulge  to  your  son, 
to  Mary  Holbrook,  or  to  any  other  living  person  any 
01  the  circumstances  connected  with  your  name 
appearing  as  a  witness  to  Holbrook's  signature,  and 
all  these  things  done,  your  son  shall  be  restored  to 
you.  What  is  your  answer?' 

"Groundwighad  talked  fast.  Hardly  sixty  seconds 
had  he  required  to  tell  me  in  words  that  were'burned 
through  my  heart,  the  part  I  was  to  take  in  this 
infamous  plot.  It  seemed  an  age.  The  heated  iron 
entered  my  soul  and  I  suffered  all  the  pangs  and 
pains- of, death  by  the  most  cruel  torture  for  crimes  I 
made  myself  believe  I  was  about  to  commit.  Asked 
to  be  a  willing  party  to  robbing  Mary  Holbrook  of 
the  fortune  her  father  had  left  her !  I,  who  had 
been  a  mother  to  her,  who  had  taught  her  the  pre- 
cepts of  truth,  integrity  and  honesty,  to  do  an  act 


186  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

that  would  give  the  lie  to  all  my  teachings,  and  she, 
too,  to  be  the  victim  and  I  to  draw  the  knife  and 
strike  the  blow  !  Mary  Holbrook,  by  the  perfidy  and 
treachery  of  her  dearest  friond,  to  be  made  worse 
than  a  beggar !  No  never  !  Forgive  me  heaven, 
forgive  me  Mary,  for  harboring  a  thought  so  wicked 
and  so  infamous  for  even  a  second  of  time. 

"But  hold  !  What  do  I  see  in  the  other  balance! 
My  darling  boy  tortured  to  the  death,  Mary  Hoi- 
brook  broken-hearted  and  in  her  grave.  And  I  their 
murderer  !  For  myself  I  care  nothing.  I  am  but  as 
a  slender  reed  that  any  wind  may  bend  and  break. 
But  there  are  two  lives  in  my  keeping.  By  the  sacri- 
fice of  my  good  name  they  are  saved.  Is  it  not  writ- 
ten that  evil  may  be  done  that  good  may  come  ?  In 
consideration  of  the  evil  I  do,  I  have  the  satisfaction 
of  seeing  two  persons  made  happy — two  beings  who 
are  everything  in  the  world  to  me.  I  refuse  to  do 
the  evil,  and  death  or  a  worse  fate  befalls  the  one,  and 
he  blood  of  my  blood  and  life  of  my  life,  while  the 
happiness  of  the  other,  who  is  bound  to  me  by  ties 
that  need  only  the  marriage  vow  to  claim  of  me  a 
mother's  love,  will  be  forever  destroyed.  It  is 
another's  gold  and  my  honor  on  one  side  and  human 
lives  on  the  other.  If  it  were  only  gold,  I  know  that 
she  who  would  be  robbed  would  submit  without  a 
murmur.  But  where  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth  can 
there  be  found  gold  enough  to  pay  for  my  dishonor, 
my  disgrace,  my  infamy  !  Why  not  call  Mary  here 
and  tell  her  all.  Tell  her  that  the  price  of  her 
lover's  ransom  is  her  fortune.  I  know  she  would  not 
hesitate  to  give  it.  Were  she  here  now  and  were  to 


GROUND  WIG'S   INFAMOUS   DEMAND.  187 

hear  all  I  have  heard,  I  know  she  would  throw  her 
arms  around  Groundwig's  neck  and  beg  him  take 
her  lands,  her  cattle,  her  bonds,  her  all,  only  restore 
to  her  her  lover.  Why  should  I  not  make  this 
proposition  to  him?  I  see  he  is  getting  impatient. 

"  '  Mr.  Ground  wig,  I  told  you  I  would  make  myself 
a  beggar,  and  consent  that  my  son  should  be  penni- 
less, if  you  would  restore  him  to  me.  My  possessions 
are  not  enough  to  satisfy  your  boundless  avarice,  and 
you  demand  that  Mary  Holbrook's  fortune  shall  be 
yours.  Is  there — can  there  be  no  alternative?  My 
son  possesses  an  active  brain,  and  he  is  industrious. 
He  has  an  excellent  business  education.  He  expects 
to  marry  Mary  Holbrook.  With  her  property  and 
mine — which  will  then  be  his — he  will  engage  in 
business  with  every  prospect  of  success.  I  know  he 
will  be  willing  to  settle  on  you  a  liberal  income  for 
life,  and  you  may  name  the  amount  and  I  will  have 
Mary  sign  the  agreement,  I  will  sign  it,  and  you  can 
release  him  from  his  confinement  upon  his  signing  it. 
What  say  you  to  this  proposition  my  dear,  good 
friend?' 

"'Woman!'  he  replied,  'are  you  crazy?  Don't 
you  know  that  such  an  agreement  could  be  repu- 
diated at  any  time,  and  would  not  be  worth  the  ink 
it  was  written  with?  Mrs.  Ground  wig,  I  took  you 
for  more  of  a  business  woman.  But  I  have  no  time 
to  dilly-dally  with  you.  Will  you  or  will  you  not 
sign  that  paper  and  take  that  oath?* 

"'Silas  Groundwig,'  I  made  bold  to  reply,  'I 
thought  you  had  a  speck  of  humanity  left  in  your 
breast.  I  was  mistaken.  I  see  you  have  not  the 


188  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

smallest  particle.  You  want  everything  or  nothing. 
I  now  propose  that  you  allow  me  to  call  Mary  Hoi- 
brook,  and  I  know,  when  I  tell  her  all  and  show  her 
my  dear  boy's  letter,  she  will  gladly  convey  to  you  in 
legal  form  all  the  property  you  claim  is  bequeathed 
you  in  Major  Holbrook's  will.  That  is  all  you  could 
get  were  I  to  sign  my  name  to  that  paper,  and  were 
the  document  really  the  will  you  represent  it  to.be. 
I  will  go  and ' 

"The  brute  stopped  me,  and  raised  his  arm  as  if  to 
strike  me.  I  did  not  flinch  a  step.  We  stood  there 
face  to  face.  I  saw  he  was  immovable.  I  felt  he 
would  not  yield  an  iota  from  the  demand  he  made  of 
me.  I  was  prepared  for  what  followed. 

"  '  Mrs.  Groundwig,  will  this  palaver  never  cease  ? 
Your  last  proposition  is  the  least  business-like  of  all. 
I  mean  business.  You  mean  nonsense.  You  know 
that  any  release  Mary  Holbrook  could  make  of  her 
property  would,  under  the  circumstances,  be  of 
no  more  value  to  me  than  though  it  were  written 
with  a  pen  dipped  in  water.  The  last  will  and  test- 
ament, however,  of  my  long-time  friend,  who  owed  his 
life  to  me,  duly  probated,  will  give  me  the  undis- 
puted title  to  all  the  property  bequeathed  me,  and 
with  your  name  as  a  witness,  and  your  sworn  promise 
not  to  appear  in  court  in  ease  the  will  is  contested,  I 
shall  have  little  or  no  trouble  in  establishing  its  gen- 
uineness. But,  woman,  I  am  arguing  when  I 
should  be  dictating.  I  must  have  your  name  on 
that  paper  instantly,  or  I  will  leave  you,  and  as  my 
presence  js  so  hateful  to  you,  I  will  leave  you  for- 
ever, and  Henry  Winters,  whom  I  hate  as  bad  as  you 
hate  me,  shall  be  tortured  to  death  before  the  sun 


GROUND  WIG'S  INFAMOUS  DEMAND.  189 

sets  to-morrow  night.  This  is  plain  talk,  and  I  trust 
you  understand  it.' 

"Horrified  almost  beyond  endurance  at  his  merciless 
threat,  still  I  was  almost  glad  he  had  not  permitted 
me  to  drag  in  another  to  relieve  me  in  part  of  the  dis- 
grace and  infamy  he  proposed  I  should  consent  to.  I 
began  to  feel  that  I  alone  should  accept  this  sacrifice, 
and  trust  to  heaven  to  prevent  the  consummation  of 
the  outrage  upon  the  innocent  victim.  Alone  I  must 
shoulder  the  unequal  burden.  If  it  shall  make  me 
deformed  in  body,  as  I  know  it  will  in  mind,  and 
if  at  last  it  obstructs  my  passing  the  pearly  gates, 
I  will  ask  to  lay  the  burden  at  my  Savior's  feet, 
and  tell  Him  all  my  story,  and  I  have  no  fear  but  He 
will  find  a  place  for  me,  for  may  He  not  say  in 
heaven  as  He  said  on  earth,  '  her  sins  are  forgiven, 
for  she  loved  much/ 

"How  these  thoughts  rushed  through  my  brain.  I 
felt  my  very  soul  was  on  fire.  But  there  stood  Ground- 
wig.  He  was  waiting  my  reply.  Yonder  stood  my 
boy.  I  saw  him,  bound  hands  and  feet,  and  I  saw 
the  blood  oozing  out  from  beneath  the  galling  chains. 
His  sunken  eyes  and  hollow  cheeks  told  the  rest  of 
the  story  of  the  torture.  His  chained  hands  were 
outstretched  towards  me.  He,  too,  was  waiting  my 
reply.  God  in  heaven,  can  I  resist  that  imploring 
look!  My  son,  my  son,  I  cried  in  agony  of  despair, 
I  give  my  soul  to  save  your  life,  and  seizing  the  paper 
and  pen,  and  where  he  directed,  I  wrote,  Matilda 
Winters.  I  signed  the  oath,  kissed  the  Bible  and 
was  alone  with  my  sin.  Picking  up  the  crumpled 
letter,  all  stained  with  tears,  and  placing  it  in  my 
bosom,  I  sought  my  chamber  and  needed  rest. 


190  THE   MORTGAGE   FOKECLOSED. 

"For  a  month  I  lay  sick  with  a  raging  fever.  Most 
of  the  time  I  was  delirious,  and  they  said  I  talked  of 
a  will,  of  my  darling  boy,  of  Groundwig  and  of  some 
great  crime  I  had  committed.  These  things  were 
all  mysteries  to  my  attendants,  for  at  that  time  no 
public  mention  had  been  made  of  the  will. 

"  One  day  when  I  felt  quite  strong,  I  called  Mary  to 
my  bedside  and  asked  her  if  there  were  any  tidings 
from  my  son.  Between  her  kisses  and  her  sobs  she 
told  me  that  not  one  word  had  been  heard  from  him 
since  his  disappearance.  'If  you  are  strong  enough/ 
Mary  continued,  'to  read  a  letter  which  a  strange 
man  is  now  bringing  in — a  letter  which  he  has 
brought  every  day  since  you  were  sick,  and  which  he 
refuses  to  put  in  any  other  hands  than  yours — per- 
haps something  may  be  learned  of  the  lost  one/ 
I  nodded  my  head.  The  strange  man  was  invited  in, 
and  he  handed  me  the  letter.  Mary  opened  it  and  I 
read  it: 

"MADAM: — Circumstances  which  I  had  no  hand  in  shaping 
prevent  my  restoring  your  boy  to  you  as  I  promised.  I 
pledge  you  the  .word  of  a  villain — a  pledge  which  only  a 
villain  can  keep — that  your  son  shall  be  well  treated  and  well 
cared  for,  and  not  until  he  is  restored  to  you  will  I  claim  any 
right  to  the  property  concerning  which  I  interviewed  you. 

"The  letter  bore  no  signature.  It  was  not  neces- 
sary. I  knew  too  well  who  sent  it. 

"Eighteen  months  have  passed  since  I  read  that 
letter.  During  all  these  months  hot  a  word  from 
my  boy.  Not  a  word  even  from  Groundwig.  How 
singular  that  I  wanted  to  again  see  that  villain  and 
really  longed  to  receive  another  letter  from  him.  He 
neither  came  nor  wrote.  I  have  now  given  up  &JI 


GROUXDWIG'S   IXFAMOUS    DEMAND.  191 

hopes  of  ever  again  seeing  my  noble  boy.  I  have 
been  growing  weaker  day  by  day,  and  feel  my  life  will 
not  much  longer  be  spared  me.  Yesterday  I  was 
asked  by  the  probate  judge  about  the  will.  He 
said  he  had  just  been  elected  to  the  office,  and  that, 
in  looking  over  a  mass  of  papers,  he  had  discovered 
what  purported  to  be  the  last  will  and  testament  of 
Stephen  Holbrook.  It  had  been  properly  proven,  and, 
in  the  absence  of  any  evidence  to  the  contrary  it 
must  be  taken  for  what  it  purported  to  be.  He 
asked  me  a  great  many  questions  about  the  will,  but 
I  shook  my  head  to  all  of  them.  There  was  my 
oath!  My  lips  were  sealed.  But  I  had  never  gone 
to  the  judge's  office  and  sworn  that  I  signed  the 
paper  in  the  presence  of  Major  Holbrook  and  at  his 
request.  Yet  the  will  showed  that  I  had  done  so.  I 
did  not  dare  to  charge  that  some  one  had  falsely 
represented  me.  I  dared  not  say  anything.  When 
the  judge  had  gone,  Mary  came  in.  She  put  her 
arms  around  my  neck  and  asked  me — Mary  Holbrook 
asked  me — if  that  was  her  father's  will  and  if  I  had 
signed  it  as  a  witness,  and  if  I  knew  that  her  father 
had  willed  the  most  of  his  property  to  a  stranger? 
She  did  not  chide  me.  She  did  not  appear  angry 
with  me.  She  simply  wanted  to  know  if  that  was 
her  father's  will.  I  could  only  answer,  '  to-night  I 
am  weak,  Mary,  and  more  of  a  child  than  you  are. 
I  do  not  understand  your  question  now.  It  is  getting 
dark,  and  I  am  so  weary  and  must  rest.  Come  to 
me,  Mary,  in  the  morning  when  I  shall  awake  and  I 
will  talk  with  you  about  your  father.  I  will  tell 

you ' " 

And  here  Matilda  Winters'  story  ended. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

PERJURY  EXPOSED. 

At  an  early  hour  the  court-room  was  crowded  with 
interested  spectators,  and  long  before  the  time  lor 
court  to  convene  the  deputies  had  been  compelled 
to  refuse  admission  to  scores  of  strangers  who  bvd 
come  a  longdistance  to  attend  the  trial.  The  interest 
in  the  proceedings  was  on  the  increase.  The  morn- 
ing paper  contained  Aunt  Matilda's  story,  and  the 
whole  town  was  in  the  highest  state  of  excitement. 
Not  a  person  acquainted  with  that  lady  but  believed 
every  word  was  true.  It  had  cleared  up  many  mys- 
terious circumstances  which  the  villagers  at  Bradford 
Junction  had  from  time  to  time  discussed,  but 
only  to  be  puzzled  and  suspicious.  Now  all  WPS 
explained.  No  longer  mystery,  no  longer  doubta, 
no  longer  misgivings,  but  the  character  of  Matilda 
Winters  shone  out  pure  and  spotless  as  the  fleecy 
clouds  which  accompany  the  setting  sun. 

The  judge  took  his  seat.  "  Sheriff,  open  court." 
That  officer  cried  out  in  a  sharp,  shrill  voice,  "  0  ye, 
0  ye,  O  ye,  this  honorable  court  is  now  convened 
pursuant  to  adjournment."  The  clerk  called  tbe 
roll  of  jurors  and  found  they  were  all  present,  and  the 
Judge  proceeded  to  announce  his  decision  on  the 
motion  to  admit  the  narrative  of  Matilda  Winters  as 
evidence.  The  opinion  was  brief  and  to  the  effect 
that  while  the  court  felt  the  statement  carried  witfi 

192 


PERJUKY  EXPOSED.  193 

it  all  the  sanctity  of  an  oath,  because  it  was  prepared 
at  a  time  when  the  writer  believed  she  had  not  long 
to  live,  and,  in  fact,  did  not  live  but  a  few  hours 
after  the  narrative  was  finished,  yet  it  was  not  her 
dying  declaration  made  on  her  death-bed.  Motion  to 
admit  must  be  overruled.  The  defense  will  proceed 
•with  their  testimony/* 

"If  the  court  please,"  said  Mr.  Hale,  "we  rest 
the  case  of  Miss  Holbrook." 

It  was  clearly  manifest  that  the  sympathy  of  the 
audience  was  with  the  lady,  and  during  the  few 
moments'  recess  which  was  given  the  attorneys  for 
Groundwig  to  arrange  their  evidence,  everybody 
discussed  the  merits  of  the  evidence  so  far  introduced. 
The  spectators  believed  the  testimony  proved  con- 
clusively that  the  will  was  a  forgery.  One  of  the 
\vitnesses  to  Major  Holbrook's  alleged  signature  was 
proven  to  have  died  before  the  paper  was  signed. 
Was  not  that  evidence  alone  sufficient  to  annul  the 


It  was  proven  that  at  the  time  the  alleged  will  was 
•written  by  a  typewriting  machine  and  up  to  the  time 
of  Major  Holbrook's  death,  there  had  been  no  such 
letter  used  in  typewriters,  and  hence  it  was  impossible 
for  Major  Holbrook  to  have  signed  his  name  to  a 
document  containing  that  style  of  letter. 

It  was  proven  that  at  the  time  of  Major  Holbrook's 
death  there  was  no  such  church  society  as  the  one 
to  which  the  sum  of  three  thousand  dollars  was 
bequeathed,  and  hence  Major  Holbrook  could  not 
have  caused  such  a  bequest  to  be  inserted  in  his  will. 
And  Matilda  Winters,  whose  name  was  affixed  as  a 

13 


194  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

witness  to  Major  Holbrook's  signature,  had  declared 
on  her  death-bed  that  the  will  was  a  forgery.  Not 
that  her  signature  was  a  forgery,  but  her  dying 
declarations  went  to  prove  that  the  signature  of 
Major  Holbrook  was  a  forgery.  Yet  there  was  the 
question  to  consider  as  to  how  much  weight  would  be 
given  by  the  jury  to  a  death-bed  statement  made 
under  such  circumstances.  The  jury  was  the  judge 
of  the  weight  to  be  given  such  testimony,  and  they 
might  discard  it  entirely. 

Did  not  this  evidence  make  out  a  plot  and  a  con- 
spiracy, of  the  most  wicked  nature,  to  rob  Mary 
Holbrook  of  the  bulk  of  her  possessions,  and  was  not 
the  will  shown  to  be  a  base  forgery?  Then  there 
was  the  startling  narrative  told  by  Mrs.  Winters. 
That  explained  every  thing  and  proved  every  thing. 
But,  alas,  it  was  not  evidence.  The  jury  had  not 
been  allowed  to  separate,  and  notwithstanding  the 
court  prohibited  the  bailiff  from  furnishing  the  jury 
with  newspapers,  yet  every  body  hoped  that  in  some 
manner  one  single  copy  of  that  paper  might  acci- 
dentally find  its  way  into  the  jury  room. 

In  the  midst  of  the  discussion,  the  recess  ended, 
quietness  reigned,  and  Groundwig's  side  of  the  case 
was  commenced.  It  was  fortunate  for  him  that  the 
crowd  believed  his  crimes  would  be  unearthed  and 
that  he  would  fail  in  his  deep-laid  plot.  There  was 
an  undercurrent  getting  under  rapid  headway  that 
boded  no  good  to  the  miscreant.  His  life  was  in  the 
keeping  of  the  jury.  To  win  his  case  was  to  lose  his 
life.  To  lose  his  case,  then  let  Ground  wig  have  a 
care.  Yet  the  fellow  seemed  conscious  of  his  iirno- 


PERJURY   EXPOSED.  195 

cence  and  confident  that  his  case  was  just  and  that 
he  would  win  it. 

The  first  witness  called  was  Stephen  D.  Hickman, 
who,  upon  being  sworn,  stated  he  was  a  copyist  and 
had  been  engaged  in  that  business  for  many  years; 
that  when  residing  in  Hartford,  Connecticut,  he  was 
called  upon  by  a  gentleman  who  gave  his  name  as 
Stephen  Holbrook,  to  make  a  copy  of  a  document 
which  he  said  was  his  will.  The  gentleman  was  very 
anxious  the  copy  should  be  exceedingly  plain  and 
legible,  so  that  it  could  be  read  by  persons  unaccus- 
tomed to  reading  writing.  "I  had  just  commenced  to 
use  a  typewriting  machine,"  the  witness  stated,  "and 
I  proposed  to  copy  his  paper  with  the  machine,  show- 
ing him  samples  of  the  work.  He  seemed  very  much 
pleased  and  employed  me  to  make  the  copy." 

Ques.  Do  you  recognize  this  document  as  your 
work? 

A /is.     I  do. 

"Take  the  witness,  Mr.  Hale,"  was  the  quick  re- 
sponse of  Groundwig's  attorney. 

J//\  Hale:  How  long  were  you  copying  the  will? 

Ans.  Off  and  on  two  or  three  days.  It  was  new 
work  and  I  made  errors,  which  I  corrected  by  re- 
writing until  I  had  a  copy  that  was  perfect. 

Ques.     Where  do  you  live  now? 

Ans.     In  the  town  of  Menton,  in  this  State. 

Ques.     How  long  have  you  lived  there? 
<r.  Some  three  years. 

Ques.  Who  pays  your  expenses  here? 
'S.  Mr.  0  round  wig. 

Ques.  Who  asked  you  to  come  here  as  a  witness? 


196  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

Ans.  Mr.  Groundwig. 

Ques.  How  did  he  ascertain  that  you  wrote  that 
document? 

Ans.  I  do  not  know. 

Ques.  Ever  have  any  other  dealings  with  Mr. 
Groundwig? 

Ans.  'No,  sir. 

Ques.  How  long  have  you  known  him? 

Ans.  Four  or  five  years. 

Ques.  Seen  him  frequently? 

Ans.  Five  or  six  times. 

Ques.  The  first  time  you  saw  him,  I  suppose,  was 
when  he  asked  you  to  copy  the  will  ? 

Ans.  JTes,  sir! 

"Hold,  there,  stop!"  fairly  yelled  one  of  the  op- 
posing counsel.  I  object  to  that  question  as  leading, 
and  I  object  to  the  answer.  The  witness  does  not 
understand  it.  They  have  led  him  on  in  this  smooth 
way  until  his  answers  have  been  made  mechanically, 
and  he  has  answered  unconscious  of  wh~at  he  has  been 
saying.  It  is  a  trick  of  counsel.  I  ask  the  court  to 
strike  out  the  answer.  Such  practice  is  infamous/' 

But  the  mischief  had  been  done.  No  matter 
whether  strictly  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of 
evidence  or  not,  to  strike  out,  wouldn't  mend  the 
matter;  to  insist  that  the  witness  did  not  understand 
the  question,  counted  nothing.  The  witness  had 
admitted  that  Silas  Grouudwig  was  the  man  who 
had  represented  himself  to  be  Stephen  Holbrook. 
The  court  ruled  the  question  was  leading,  and 
hence,  an  improper  one,  and  instructed  the  jury 
that  the  answer  was  not  to  be  considered  as  testi- 
mony. 


PERJURY   EXPOSED,  197 

"  We  are  through  with  the  witness,"  remarked 
Mr.  Hale. 

Groundwig's  counsel  was  in  an  awkward  dilemma. 
To  ask  the  witness  to  explain  his  answer  was  dan- 
gerous. To  dismiss  him  without  questioning  him 
further  was  admitting  that  he  was  not  worthy  of  be- 
lief. The  counsel  did  the  only  safe  thing  he  could, 
and  that  was  to  excuse  the  witness  "  for  the  present," 
trusting  that  a  part  of  the  blow  might  be  warded  off 
by  the  ruling  of  the  court. 

"James  Martin  will  please  step  forward  and  be 
sworn,"  was  the  startling  announcement  by  Ground- 
wig's  attorney.  The  judge,  jurors  and  audience  could 
not  conceal  their  surprise  and  astonishment.  The 
counsel  for  Miss  Holbrook  appeared  agitated  and 
tvoubled,  but  were  soon  put  to  their  ease  by  a  brief 
conference  with  a  stranger,  who,  from  time  to  time, 
had  consulted  with  them.  Some  said  he  was  a  cele- 
brated detective  who  had  been  employed  to  unveil 
the  conspiracy  if  there  were  a  conspiracy. 

The  person  answering  to  the  name  of  James  Martin 
came  forward  and  took  his  place  on  the  witness  stand. 
All  eyes  were  upon  him.  He  stood  the  stare  without 
moving  a  muscle.  He  looked  like  a  bundle  of  nerves, 
turned,  twisted  and  shaped  into  the  form  of  a  man. 

Ques.     What  is  your  name? 

Ans.     James  Martin. 

Ques.  Is  that  your  signature  (showing  the  witness 
the  alleged  will). 

Ans.     It  is. 

Ques.  Under  what  circumstances  did  you  sign 
that  paper? 


198         THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

Ans.  One  day  I  was  going  past  Major  Holbrookes 
residence  when  Mr.  Groundwig  called  me  in,  and  the 
Major,  who  was  lying  sick  on  a  bed,  asked  me  to  sign 
my  name  as  a  witness  to  his  signature,  telling  me  the 
paper  showed  me  was  his  will. 

Ques.  Any  other  person  there  besides  Major  Hol- 
orook,  Mr.  Groundwig,  and  yourself? 

Ans.  Yes,  sir,  an  elderly  lady,  who  Major  Holbrook 
addressed  as  Mrs.  Winters,  who,  also,  at  the  request 
of  the  Major,  signed  her  name  directly  under  mine, 
and  two  gentlemen,  whose  names  I  do  not  know. 

Ques.  Did  you  know  a  person  in  that  neighbor- 
hood by  the  name  of  "William  Bush? 

Ans.  I  never  did. 

Ques.  Did  you  ever  board  with  a  person  by  the 
name  of  William  Bush? 

Ans.  No,  sir. 

Ques.  Did  you  ever  work  for  a  person  by  the  name 
of  William  Bush? 

Ans.  No,  sir. 

Ques.  Are  you  alive? 

Ans.  I  think  I  am,  sir. 

Ques.  Were  you  ever  dead? 

Ans.  Not  that  I  am  aware  of. 

Ques.  Were  you  ever  put  in  a  coffin  and  buried  ? 

Ans.  Not  to  my  knowledge. 

Groundwig's  Attorney:  That  is  all.  Take  the  wit- 
ness. 

Mr.  Hale:   Where  were  you  born? 

Ans.  In  New  York  State,  sir. 

Ques.  When  did  you  come  West? 

Ans.  Six  years  ago. 


PERJURY    EXPOSED.  199 

Ques.  Where  do  you  live  now? 

Ans.  On  a  farm,  about  twenty  miles  from  Brad- 
ford. 

Ques.  Had  you  frequently  passed  Major  Holbrookes 
house? 

Ans.  Very  seldom. 

Ques.  Mr.  Groundwig  asked  you  to  come  in,  did 
he? 

Ans.  Yes,  sir. 

Ques.     Had  you  met  him  before? 

A  ns.     I  did  not  quite  catch  on  to  your  question. 

QKCS.  I  ask  you  if  you  had  ever  met  Mr.  Ground- 
wig  before  that  time  he  called  you  into  Major  Hoi- 
brook's  house? 

Ans.     I  had  not. 

Ques.  You  were  a  stranger,  passing  by,  Ground- 
wig  saw  you,  called  you  in,  asked  you  to  sign  your 
name,  and  without  any  hesitation  you  did  so? 

.1  'is.     Yes,  sir. 

Ques.  The  gentlemen  you  met  there  did  not  sign 
their  names,  did  they? 

Ans.     Not  while  I  was  there. 

Ques.     Were  they  asked  to  sign? 

Ans.     Not  that  I  know  of. 

Ques.  Were  you  ever  at  Holbrook'e  house  after 
that  time? 

Ans.     No,  sir. 

Ques.     Do  you  own  a  farm? 

Ans.    No,  sir. 

Ques.  You  work  out  by  the  month  or  year,  do 
you? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir. 


200  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

Ques.     Did  you  ever  work  for  Samuel  Turner? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir,  several  months. 

Ques.     Did  you  ever  work  for  Peter  Livingstone? 

Ans.     What? 

Ques.     I  asked  you  if  you  ever  worked  for  Peter 
Livingstone? 

Ans.     I  think  I  did  for  a  few  weeks. 

Ques.     Have  any  trouble  with  him  ? 

Ans.     Well,  nothing  much. 

Ques.     Were  you  indicted  for  forging  his  name  to 
a  note  and  obtaining  five  hundred  dollars? 

Ans.     Yes,  sir.     But  I  was  tried  and  acquitted. 

Ques.     On  what  grounds  were  you  acquitted? 

Ans.     I  swore  that  1 — I — I — 

Ques.    Well,  sir,  speak  quick. 

Ans.     I  swore  I — I — I  could  not  write  nor  read  I 
But— 

The  audience  could  not  wait  for  the  sentence  to 
be  finished.  The  ludicrousness  of  the  situation  was 
keenly  appreciated  by  all.  One  general  burst  o£ 
laughter,  ending  in  a  derisive  wail  in  concert,  par 
ticipated  in  by  everybody  except  the  dignified  court, 
the  witness,  Groundwig  and  his  attorneys,  provoked 
the  judge  to  order  the  room  cleared,  but  he  at  once 
relented  and  revoked  the  order,  much  to  the  grati- 
fication of  the  spectators. 

Judge:  Proceed,  Mr.  Hale,  with  the  cross-exam- 
ination. 

Ques.  You  can  now  complete  your  answer;  when 
the  audience  so  boisterously  interrupted  you,  you 
were  saying  "but — " 

Ans.  I  commenced  to  say  that  I  have  since  that 
time  learned  to  write  my  name. 


PERJURY   EXPOSED.  201 

The  audience  began  to  think  they  had  halloed 
before  they  were  out  of  the  woods. 

Ques.  How  long  after  you  were  charged  with 
forging  the  name  of  Mr.  Livingstone  did  you  learn  to 
write? 

Ans.     About  six  months. 

Ques.  Did  you  learn  to  write  any  more  than  your 
own  name? 

Ans.     That  was  all. 

Ques.  How  long  after  your  acquittal  of  the  crime 
of  forgery  before  you  went  to  living  where  you  now 
do? 

Ans.     About  two  months. 

Ques.  And  you  say  you  had  resided  there  only  ten 
days  when  you  were  asked  to  sign  your  name  to 
Major  Holbrookes  will? 

Ans.     I  don't  know. 

Ques.     Don't  know  what? 

Ans.     I  don't  know. 

Groundwitfs  attorney:  The  witness  is  under  the 
protection  of  the  court,  and  I  ask  your  honor  to  pro- 
tect him  from  the  insulting  questions  of  the  gentle- 
man who  has  the  honor  of  Major  Holbrook  in 
charge. 

Mr.  Hale:  Your  attempt,  sir,  at  sarcasm  will  fall 
still-born  in  this  court-house. 

Judge.    Proceed  with  the  cross-examination. 

Ques.  Under  what  name  were  you  indicted  for 
forgery  ? 

Ans.     William  Wallace. 

Ques.  You  say  you  learned  to  write  only  your 
name — was  the  name  you  learned  to  write  James 
Martin  or  William  Wallace? 


f 
202  THE  HOETGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

Ans.    I  don't  remember. 

Ques.  What,  after  reaching  the  age  of  forty  years 
you  learned  to  write  your  name  and  don't  know  what 
name  you  learned  to  write? 

Ans.     Well,  sir;    I  learned  to  write  both  names. 

Ques.  After  your  acquittal  why  did  you  so  sud- 
denly change  your  name? 

Ans.     I  don't  know. 

Ques.  Did  you  write  this  letter?  (Showing  the 
witness  a  half  sheet  of  foolscap  covered  witli  writing.) 

Ans.     I  don't  remember. 

Ques.  Now  Mr.  James  Martin  or  Mr.  William 
Wallace,  or  whatever  your  name  may  be,  is  it  not  a 
fact  that  you  can  read  and  write,  and  that  you  com- 
mitted perjury  when  you  swore  in  the  forgery  case 
that  you  could  not  write  your  name? 

Ans.  Yes,  I  did  learn  to  read  and  write  when  a 
boy,  but  I  have  roughed  it  so  much  and  got  out  of 
practice  of  writing  that  at  the  time  Livingstone's 
name  was  forged  I  could  not  write. 

Ques.  I  propose  now  to  compare  your  handwriting 
with  the  signature  on  that  alleged  will.  Take  this 
pen  and  write  your  name  on  that  piece  of  paper. 

The  witness  was  now  so  agitated  that  the  lookers- 
on  pitied  him,  and  they  wished  the  cruel  torture  would 
end.  But  Mr.  Hale  did  not  propose  to  lose  any  van- 
tage ground.  When  the  witness  trembled  so  he 
could  not  write,  and  became  so  agitated  he  could 
not  speak,  Mr  Hale,  in  a  pleasing,  reassuring  manner, 
asked  him  why  the  request  to  sign  his  name  so 
unnerved  him. 
The  witness  sat  stiff  as  a  stick,  pale  as  the  newly 


PERJURY    EXPOSED.  203 

whitewashed  ceiling  over  his  head,  and  not  a  syllable 
passed  his  lips. 

Mr.  Hale  rose  to  his  feet,  stepped  to  within  a  few 
inches  of  the  witness-stand,  and  in  a  louder  voice  than 
the  attorney  had  any  time  employed,  and  looking 
the  witness  straight  in  the  eye,  said  to  him: 

"  Sir,  does  not  your  agitation  come  from  the  knowl- 
edge you  have  been  swearing  to  a  pack  of  lies,  and  the 
fear  that  the  strong  arm  of  the  law  will  be  laid  upon 
you,  and  cast  you  in  prison  ?  Sir!  tell  the  court  and 
jury,  before  God  strikes  you  dead,  how  much  Ground- 
wig  paid  you  for  this  perjury." 

Never  was  witness  more  ready  to  answer  a  question 
than  was  this  one  now.  Hardly  had  Mr.  Hale  time 
to  finish  the  sentence  when  the  answer  came  : 

"He  agreed  to  pay  me — " 

"Stop,  hold  there,  not  another  word,  witness!  You 
need  not  answer  that  question,"  yelled  Mr.  Waddel 
of  the  opposing  counsel.  "The  court  should  not  permit 
a  witness  to  criminate  himself  without  explaining 
to  him  his  legal  rights.  I  ask  your  honor  to  instruct 
the  witness  that  he  need  not  answer  the  question." 

The  court  so  instructed  him. 

"I  withdraw  the  question,"  said  Mr.  Hale.  But 
enough  of  the  truth  had  been  told  to  destroy  the 
credibility  of  the  witness.  It  was  evident  to  every 
one  who  had  heard  the  testimony  that  the  man  was 
a  tool  of  Groundwig's,  and  for  pay  had  committed 
perjury,  and  that  Ground  wig  had  made  the  mistake 
of  affixing  to  the  will  the  name  of  a  person  who  had 
died  a  few  days  before  the  death  of  Major  Hoi- 
brook,  thus  corroborating  that  part  of  Mrs.  Winters' 


204  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

statement  which  fixed  the  time  Groundwig  prepared 
the  will  as  several  months  after  the  Major's  death. 

Grotmdwig's  cunning  was  manifest  in  the  provis- 
ion of  the  will  bequeathing  a  large  sum  to  the  pop- 
ular Lutheran  Church.  This  bequest  made  many 
advocates  of  the  validity  of  the  will.  Witnesses  were 
called,  who  proved  that  while  there  was  no  such 
church  at  the  time  of  Holbrook's  death,  such  an 
organization  was  talked  of,  and  at  the  time  of  the 
trial  was  the  most  prosperous  church  in  that  part  of 
the  country.  No  doubt  the  church  was  being  built 
when  Ground  wig  framed  the  will,  but  he  made  the 
mistake  of  not  ascertaining  whether  such  an  associa- 
tion was  organized  at  the  time  of  Holbrook's  death. 

No  further  evidence  was  introduced.  The  lawyers 
made  their  arguments — long,  learned  and  able  pleas 
on  both  sides.  The  judge  read  his  charge  to  the 
jury,  reviewing  the  testimony  on  both  sides,  the 
jury  retired  in  custody  of  a  bailiff  and  the  court  was 
adjourned  until  the  next  morning. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

FREE   WOOL,  THE   VEKDICT. 

In  the  reading-room  of  one  of  the  hotels  at  the 
county  seat,  quite  a  group  of  people  had  assembled  to 
discuss  the  will  trial  and  the  news  of  the  day.  The 
judge  came  in  and  began  perusing  the  evening  paper. 
Having  finished  reading,  a  farmer,  who  had  been  a 
witness  on  the  trial,  asked  him  if  he  meant  to  be 
understood  in  his  remarks  upon  the  tariff  to  say  that 
the  farmers  received  no  protection  on  any  of  their 
crops. 

"That  is  what  I  said — no  real  protection/'  replied 
the  judge. 

"lam  satisfied  that  is  so,"  said  the  farmer,  "as 
to  the  principal  products,  except  wool;  you  will  ad- 
mit, of  course,  that  wool  is  protected,  but  I  presume 
you  will  urge  that  what  is  claimed  as  protection  is 
more  imaginary  than  real.  It  seems  to  me,  though, 
if  the  protection  were  withdrawn,  wool  could  not  be 
grown  in  this  country  in  competition-with  Australia, 
Spain  and  the  Central  and  South  American  States. 
I  am  not  making  this  point  for  the  purpose  of  enter- 
ing into  an  argument  with  you,  Judge,  because  in 
the  main  I  think  your  talk  to  the  jury  on  the  tariff 
was  first-rate  law,  but  to  obtain  information  for  my- 
self and  others." 

''I  appreciate  your  motive,  Farmer  Lake,"  re- 
sponded the  Judge,  "and  I  will  answer  your  ques- 

205 


206  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

tion  in  the  same  candid  manner.  I  believe  if  wool 
were  put  on  the  free  list,  the  result  would  be  an  in- 
crease of  the  American  product,  bringing  as  good  a 
price  as  now,  if  not  better,  and  a  reduction  in  the 
price  of  home-manufactured  woolen  goods,  without 
decreasing  the  wages  of  operatives,  and  really  increas- 
ing the  profits  to  the  manufacturer.  My  belief,  how- 
ever, is  of  no  more  consequence  than  that  of  any 
other  man,  unless  I  can  maintain  it  by  good  and  suf- 
ficient reasons." 

By  this  time  the  entire  group  became  attentive 
listeners,  and  when  the  Judge  stopped,  as  though 
for  an  answer  from  his  questioner,  whether  he  would 
give  those  reasons,  several  bystanders  replied  they 
would  like  to  hear  him  on  that  subject. 

"You  all  know/'  the  Judge  proceeded,  "the 
American  woolen  mills,  as  an  industry,  have  had 
and  are  having  a  greater  struggle  for  existence  than 
any  other  large  manufacturing  interest  in  the  coun- 
try. The  opinion  is  quite  general  among  the  owners 
of  those  factories  that  this  struggle  conies  in  a  great 
measure  from  the  high  tax  on  foreign  wool.  There 
<are  many  grades  of  wool  not  raised  in  this  country 
and  can  not  be,  for  reasons  which  I  need  not  stop  to 
enumerate,  which  enter  into  the  manufacture  of  car- 
pets, blankets,  cloths  and  dress  goods  generally.  That 
wool  is  admitted  free  into  other  countries  extensively 
engaged  in  manufacturing  woolen  goods,  which 
enables  them  to  sell  their  product  in  most  of  the 
markets  of  the  world  cheaper  than  the  United  States 
can.  In  fact,  large  quantities  of  those  goods  are  sold 
in  this  country,  notwithstanding  the  high  tariff  on 


FREE  WOOL,  THE  VERDICT.  207 

them.  Were  those  grades  of  wool  admitted  free,  there 
would  be  a  far  greater  amount  of  woolen  goods  man- 
ufactured, which  would  require  the  use  of  more, 
rather  than  less,  American  wool,  insuring  better  prices 
to  the  flockmasters.  It  is  certainly  the  best  thing  for 
labor  to  bring  those  grades  of  wool  here  in  the  raw 
state,  than  in  manufactured  goods,  and  it  is  better  for 
the  American  farmer  that  those  countries  should  raise 
wool  for  export  than  wheat  and  cattle.  This  coun- 
try, with  free  wool,  could  go  into  all  the  markets  of 
the  world,  where  not  prohibited,  with  the  better  class 
of  woolen  goods,  which  is  the  kind  it  is  in  the  habit 
of  making,  and  sell  them  in  competition  with  any 
foreign  manufacturer.  Of  course  I  mean  if  we  were 
permitted  to  take  in  pay  the  commodities  other 
countries  have  to  dispose  of.  Then  the  frequent 
bankruptcy  of  woolen  factories  would  end,  the 
manufacturing  of  woolen  goods  would  revive,  the 
numerous  silent  mills  would  be  set  to  work,  and  em- 
ployment furnished  to  thousands  of  idle  men  and 
women,  at  good  wages,  enlarging  the  ability  of  these 
armies  of  operatives  to  buy  bread  and  meat." 

"Even  if  admitting/'  aspectator  remarked,  "wool 
free  should  not  result  as  beneficial  to  the  woolen 
industry  as  the  owners  of  those  factories  think, 
would  not  the  reduction  in  the  cost  of  woolen  goods 
be  worth  millions  of  dollars  to  the  farmers  and 
laborers?" 

"There  can  be  no  doubt  of  it,"  said  the  Judge. 
"  The  woolen  blanket  and  the  sack  of  flour  go  hand- 
in-hand.  Tax  flour  for  the  benefit  of  the  farmer  as 
the  blanket  is  taxed  for  the  alleged  benefit  of  the 


208       THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

wool-grower,  and  the  people  would  rise  in  rebellion. 
Yet  there  is  more  justice  in  making  the  consumer  pay 
a  tax  on  flour  than  on  blankets,  because  the  farmers" 
number  nearly  one-half  the  population,  while  the 
wool-growers  who  make  raising  sheep  a  business,  and 
who  are  the  only  persons  claimed  to  be  benefited  by 
the  tax  on  wool,  number  less  than  an  hundred 
thousand.  The  tariff  on  wool  if  it  really  benefits  any 
one  benefits  about  one  person  in  six  hundred  of 
population,  and  the  other  five  hundred  and  ninety- 
nine  contribute  a  portion  of  their  earnings  to  enable 
the  other  one  to  raise  wool  profitably.  The  govern- 
ment don't  require  the  people  to  contribute  anything 
to  the  farmer  to  make  his  crops  profitable,  and  yet  he 
has  to  compete  with  the  cheapest  labor  that  toils  on 
the  earth.  What  justice  is  there  in  making  wool  the 
exception?" 

"  Don't  j'ou  think  the  cheap  labor  of  other 
countries  will  prevent  America  from  selling  woolen 
goods  and  many  other  manufacturered  products  in 
the  markets  of  the  old  world?  "  asked  Farmer  Lake. 

"I  do  not,"  was  the  Judge's  reply,  "the  biggest 
bugbear  ever  invented  is  that  of  the  inability  of 
America  to  compete  with  the  cheap  labor  of  Europe. 
The  farmer  is  doing  it  every  year.  He  is  compelled 
to  do  it  to  a  disadvantage  by  reason  of  the  unjust 
tariff  laws,  which  require  him  to  spend  his  money 
where  the  things  he  buys  are  the  dearest.  But  when 
it  comes  to  the  labor  employed  in  manufactures, 
there  is  not  so  much  difference  in  wages,  when 
results  are  considered,  as  you  may  think.  The  ques- 
tion of  wages  is  not  so  much  the  amount  paid  as  the 


FREE  WOOL,  THE  VERDICT.  209 

amount  earned.  If  the  German,  the  Frenchman,  the 
Italian,  earn  one-half  what  the  American  earns, 
and  the  former  are  paid  one-half  as  much  as  the  lat- 
ter, then  there  is  little  or  no  difference  in  the  price 
of  labor.  If  the  goods  of  American  make  are  more 
serviceable  than  the  foreign  manufacture,  and  only 
the  question  of  labor  in  the  way,  then  may  this 
country  be  able  to  sell  woolen  goods  in  competition 
\vith  any  and  every  foreign  country.  It  is  not  the  very 
cheap  labor  of  such  countries  as  India,  China,  Japan 
aad  Mexico,  that  our  manufacturers  have  to  compete 
•with,  it  is  chiefly  the  labor  of  England,  Germany  and 
France,  which,  when  its  relative  earning  power  is 
considered,  is  as  well  paid  as  in  the  United  States. 

"I  think  it  folly  for  a  great  nation  like  this,  with 
irs  immense  resources,  having  the  best  improved  ma- 
chinery in  the  world,  possessing  the -most  enter- 
prising people  on  the  earth,  talking  about  its 
inability  to  sell  goods  alongside  of  any  other  coun- 
try, because  of  the  difference  in  the  cost  of  labor. 
As  a  proposition  by  itself  whatever  difference  there 
possibly  might  be  between  the  earning  value  of 
labor  in  America  and  its  earning  value  in  Europe 
and  the  Central  and  South  American  States,  is 
more  than  equalized  by  the  admission  into  this 
country  of  free  raw  material.  That  change  alone  in 
the  tariff  laws  would  stimulate  the  various  manufac- 
turing industries  of  the  country,  and  as  the  price  of 
labor  is  fixed  by  the  supply  and  demand,  labor  would 
quickly  catch  its  advantage  and  hold  it  indefinitely. 
A  surplus  of  manufactured  goods  and  a  surplus  of 
farm  products,  means  a  surplus  of  labor,  and  a  sur- 

14 


210  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

plus  of  labor  means  cheap  labor.  Labor,  no  matter 
whether  employed  in  the  factory,  the  mine,  the  mill, 
the  shop,  or  on  the  farm,  is  alike  interested  in  a 
market  for  all  each  other  produce .  The  protective 
tariff  prevents  it  finding  those  markets,  and 
hence  creates  a  surplus  of  manufactured  goods, 
which  is  termed  overproduction,  and  the  result  must 
be  either  low  wages  or  less  days  for  the  employment 
of  labor. 

"  Under  a  protective  tariff,  seconded  by  labor-saving 
machinery,  America  has  developed  a  manufacturing 
capacity  double  the  wants  of  the  people.  Protection 
has  protected  the  infant  industries  until  they  have 
grown  to  be  giants,  and  now,  instead  of  trying  to  put 
the  giants  in  beds  made  for  infants,  give  them  room 
commensurate  with  their  size.  Give  them  the  broad 
world  to  roam  in.  Overproduction  is  a  misnomer  as 
long  as  there  are  enough  consumers  of  these  goods 
to  keep  these  industries  running  full  time.  What 
matters  it  that  only  a  portion  of  those  consumers  are 
in  America?  "Why  prevent  the  remainder  from  being 
supplied  by  putting  shackles  on  trade  and  commerce? 
Don't  we  all  know  by  this  time  that  the  tariff  not 
only  restricts  trade,  but  retards  and  prohibits  it? 
Hence  comes  the  surplus  of  labor,  with  its  attendant 
evils,  shut-outs,  idleness  and  low  wages.  If  the 
farmer  and  the  laborer  were  permitted  to  have  one 
prayer  granted,  that  would  bring  to  them  the  greatest 
possible  blessings,  they  would  not  pray  for  better 
prices  for  farm  produce,  nor  for  higher  wages  for 
labor,  but  that  heaven  might  save  them  from  a  high 
protective  tariff.  Then  the  other  blessings  would 
come  as  a  natural  consequence." 


£REE  WOOL,  THE  VERDICT.  211 

"  Would  you  also  favor  admitting  iron  ore,  copper, 
steel  and  coal,  tin  plate,  salt,  sugar  and  lumber, 
free?"  asked  a  bystander. 

"  Yes/'  answered  the  Judge;  "there  are  portions 
of  this  country  where  there  are  large  manufacturing 
interests  that  can  procure  iron,  steel  and  coal  cheaper 
from  abroad  than  at  home,  and  they  are  languishing 
and  threatened  with  bankruptcy  because  of  the  tariff 
on  those  articles.  I  would  not  fetter  one  part  of  the 
land  to  benefit  another  part.  With  the  tariff  removed 
from  those  materials  the  possibilities  of  this  country 
in  manufacturing  products  that  wool,  iron,  steel,  cop- 
per and  lumber  enter  largely  into,  would  be  almost 
marvellous.  This  country  would  not  fear  the  rivalry 
of  Great  Britain  or  France,  but  would  sell  such  goods 
throughout  the  world,  and,  instead  of  closing  long- 
established  manufactures,  all  of  them  would  be  kept 
in  motion,  giving  employment  to  more  men  at  good 
wages  and  full  time." 

"  I  really  like  such  broad  views,"  said  Farmer  Lake, 
"as  you  advance,  because  they  fit  without  a  flaw  the 
vast  agricultural  interests  of  our  country,  as  well  as 
its  great  manufacturing  industries,  and  they  keep  in 
the  foreground  the  importance  of  furnishing  labor, 
constant  employment  and  good  pay.  You  certainly 
then  must  stand  by  the  ' home  market.'" 

"  Most  certainly,"  remarked  the  Judge,  "I  stand 
by  not  only  the  'home  market*  but  the  foreign 
market  as  well.  Protection  permits  of  but  the  one 
market.  I  would  abolish  protection  that  both  mar- 
kets might  be  stimulated.  The  surplus  farm  pro- 
duce is  increasing  more  rapidly  than  the  consumers. 


212  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

This  comes  from  the  large  emigration  of  foreigners, 
who  engage  in  farming,  and  the  wealthy  syndicates 
that  cultivate  vast  tracts  of  land  and  raise  immense 
herds  of  cattle.  A  market  for  this  increasing  sur- 
plus must  be  found  abroad  or  the  prices  will  rule  so 
low  that  the  farmer  will  be  unable  to  earn  his  living, 
and,  in  time,  his  farm  will  not  be  good  security  for 
even  the  taxes  levied  on  it.  Make  an  increased 
demand  at  home  for  farm  products  by  repealing  aU 
laws  which  prevent  the  manufacturers  from  going 
into  the  markets  of  the  world  with  their  goods,  and 
the  number  of  home  consumers  of  bread  and  meat 
would  be  largely  increased.  The  new  markets  opened 
for  manufactured  goods  will  mean  new  markets  for 
the  farmers'  product,  for  the  ships  that  carry  the 
products  of  American  factories  to  every  civilized 
land,  will  find  it  to  their  interest  to  carry  to  the 
same  markets  the  products  of  the  American  farm. 
There  are  but  few  of  those  markets  of  the  old  world 
but  will  buy  meat  and  bread  of  this  country  if  they 
can  pay  for  them  in  the  articles  they  have  to  sell. 
There  is  almost  an  endless  line  of  goods  other  coun- 
tries have  to  dispose  of,  which  this  country  uses  and 
does  not  produce,  or  if  it  does  produce  them  it 
could  more  profitably  produce  something  else,  that 
they  will  exchange  for  food  and  raiment.  Insist  up- 
on demanding  for  the  products  of  the  American 
loom  and  farm  only  gold  and  silver,  and  those 
countries  simply  can  not  pay  in  that  way  even  if  ever 
eo  much  inclined  to.  Nor  are  they  compelled  to, 
because  other  nations  will  exchange  products  for 
products.  When  this  country  is  prepared  to  ex- 


FREE   WOOL,  THE   VERDICT.  213 

change  our  wares  for  theirs,  then  we  can  strike  a 
trade  with  them.  This  is  a  great  world.  I  some- 
times think  we  underestimate  the  number  of  people 
in  it  and  the  vastuess  of  their  wants,  and  our 
ability  to  satisfy  those  wants  when  a  fair  interchange 
of  commodities  is  permitted.  To  hem  ourselves  in 
and  rely  on  a  home  market  for  what  we  grow  and 
what  we  make,  is  the  most  narrow-minded  policy 
that  can  be  conceived.  Given  almost  a  limitless  area 
of  territory,  with  natural  resources  embracing  most 
of  the  elements  of  wealth  essential  to  a  nation's  pros- 
perity, with  established  industries  capable  of  manu- 
facturing double  the  product  there  is  a  home  demand 
for,  with  enough  lands  under  cultivation  to  produce 
treble  the  quantity  of  food  required  for  home  con- 
sumption, we  submit  to  legislation  that  prohibits 
our  finding  markets  beyond  our  borders  for  the  sur- 
plus products  of  factory  and  farm,  just  because  we 
are  wedded  to  the  phantom  theory  of  an  exclusive 
home  market." 

"  I  have  heard  it  stated,  Judge,  that  a  large  pro- 
portion of  the  articles  sold  by  the  United  States  to 
foreign  countries  are  unprotected  products.  Do  you 
know  how  this  is?"  asked  Lawyer  Hale. 

"  That  is  an  important  feature  of  this  subject," 
said  the  Judge.  ' '  I  understand  that  five-sixths  of 
our  exports  are  made  by  the  unprotected  producers. 
This  fact  proves  that  protection  is  not  necessary  to 
enable  us  to  place  our  products  in  foreign  markets." 

"Judge,  do  you  advise  the  farmers  to  organize  a 
political  party  made  up  of  themselves  alone,  to  help 
bring  about  this  change  in  tariff  legislation?"  asked 
Farmer  Lake. 


214  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

"  By  no  means,"  responded  the  Judge,  "there  are 
parties  enough  now.  Another  party  would  only  en- 
danger the  success  of  the  reform.  The  farmers  should 
attend  the  caucuses  of  the  party  which  is  pledged  to 
tariff  reform,  and  vote  solid  for  men  who  are  known 
to  favor  the  reform.  No  matter  what  the  office 
may  be,  local,  state  or  national,  vote  for  men  who  are 
for  a  reduction  of  the  tariff.  Create  a  public  senti- 
ment in  favor  of  this  reform  in  every  township,  and 
to  do  this,  vote  for  the  candidates  that  stand  for  put- 
ting raw  material  on  the  free  list  and  reducing  the 
tariff  on  necessaries  to  a  revenue  basis  and  abolishing 
protection  for  the  purpose  of  protection.  If  the  man 
who  thus  favors  the  farmer's  interest  is  not  put  on 
the  ticket  you  have  been  in  the  habit  of  voting,  and 
his  opponent  is  an  advocate  of  tariff  reform,  you 
are  as  much  bound  to  vote  against  the  man  nomi- 
nated by  your  party,  as  you  are  bound  to  provide 
for  the  support  of  your  wife  and  children."  Let  this 
rule  apply  particularly  to  the  election  of  Congress- 
men and  to  members  of  the  State  legislatures  which 
elect  the  United  States  Senators. 

"I  have  listened  to  your  remarks  with  a  good  deal 
of  satisfaction,"  said  the  farmer.  "  I  firmly  believe 
that  it  is  not  protection  that  labor  should  look 
to  for  steady  work  and  good  wages,  but  rather  to 
good  markets,  home  and  foreign,  for  both  manufac- 
tured goods  and  the  surplus  product  of  the  soil,  and 
to  have  them,  protection  must  be  gotten  out  of  the 
way/  It  is  apparent  to  my  mind  that  you  suggest 
the  only  manner  tariff  can  benefit  labor,  and  that  is, 
to  have  just  as  little  tariff  as  is  needed  for  revenue. 


FREE   WOOL,  THE  VERDICT.  215 

It  should  be  taken  off  of  raw  material,  and  most  of 
the  necessaries  of  life,  and  all  restrictions  on  Ameri- 
can commerce  should  be  removed.  This  I  under- 
stand to  be  tariff  reform.  Such  a  reform  I  favor. 
The  success  of  such  a  reform  will,  I  believe,  restore 
the  farm  to  the  profitable  business  it  was  years  ago, 
will  enable  the  farmer  to  speedily  rid  himself  of  the 
mortgage  nightmare,  and  will  bring  about  the  farm 
all  the  comforts  which  make  people  contented  in 
their  homes." 

"  Truer  words  were  never  uttered,"  proceeded  the 
Judge.  "  You  have  stated  the  whole  case.  Free  raw 
material, and  the  adjustment  of  the  tariff  laws  on 
business  and  economic  principles  will  give  the  manu- 
facturers all  they  can  do  to  supply  the  demand  for 
their  goods,  home  and  abroad.  Then  labor  will  have 
steady  employment  and  good  wages.  Wherever  the 
manufacturer  goes  with  his  surplus,  the  farmer  will 
go  with  his.  This  disposition  of  the  surplus  must 
raise  the  price  of  farm  produce.  Then,  without  pro- 
tection, the  manufacturer  prospers,  the  laborer  pros- 
pers, and  the  farmer  prospers.  This  is  what  tariff 
reform  will  do." 

On  the  morrow,  on  the  convening  of  court,  the 
jury  were  escorted  to  their  seats  by  the  sheriff,  and 
the  crowd  of  spectators  eagerly  sought  to  read  the 
verdict  in  the  jurors'  faces.  A  painful  silence  pos- 
sessed the  vast  audience.  It  was  known  late  at  night 
that  a  verdict  had  not  been  agreed  upon.  The  con- 
test in  the  jury-room  had  excited  the  people  to  a  high 
pitch  of  anxiety,  and  while  to  the  spectators  the  case 
appeared  to  have  but  one  side,  yet  the  long  time 


^16  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

the  jury  were  deliberating  had  created  a  feeling  of 
doubt  just  sufficient  to  make  the  audience  eager  to 
know  the  verdict. 

The  Clerk. — "  Gentlemen  of  the  jury,  have  you 
agreed  upon  a  verdict  ?" 

Foreman. — "  We  have"  (handing  a  paper  to  the 
clerk). 

Clerk  (reading  the  paper). — "  We,  the  jury,  find 
that  the  document  purporting  to  be  the  last  will  and 
testament  of  Stephen  Holbrook  is  a  forgery." 

The  audience  ached  to  testify  in  cheers  and  other 
demonstrations  of  applause  its  approval  of  the  ver- 
dict, but  the  previous  warning  of  the  court,  and  the 
threat  of  the  sheriff  to  arrest  the  first  person  that 
violated  the  order,  kept  the  assemblage  from  giving 
vent  to  their  pent-up  feelings.  The  court-room  was 
quickly  emptied,  and  once  outside  the  building  the 
crowd  went  wild  with  enthusiasm.  In  the  excitement 
Groundwig  had  disappeared,  and  Martin  and  Hick- 
man  were  never  more  heard  of  in  that  part  of  the 
West.  Fortunate  for  them  they  had  anticipated  the 
anger  of  the  populace  by  hurrying  out  of  town, 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

A  GHOST'S  DISPATCH  SENT  TO  A  DEAD  WOMAN. 

The  excitement  over  the  will  case  soon  died  away. 
Months  passed  rapidly.  No  matter  how  black  a 
heart  the  personator  of  Henry  Winters  may  have  had, 
he  seemed  to  possess  the  power  to  bestow  upon  Mary 
Holbrook  love  as  sincere  as  that  which  springs  from 
a  heart  that  never  knew  ought  but  innocence. 

Winters  continued  to  faithfully  serve  his  employers, 
but  no  sooner  was  he  off  duty  than  he  sought  the 
company  of  Mary  Holbrook.  Hours  were  daily  spent 
in  talking  over  the  events  of  their  childhood,  and 
hardly  an  incident,  no  matter  how  trivial,  could  be  re- 
ferred to  by  Mary,  but  the  impostor  was  able  to  take 
the  subject  from  her  lips  and  complete  it.  Some- 
times when  his  thoughts  were  fixed  on  other  scenes 
and  other  events,  which  Mary  knew  nothing  of,  she 
would  gently  chide  him  for  his  indifference  to  her 
prattle,  and  then  he  would  recover  himself  only  to 
wonder  whether  there  was  any  suspicion  lurking  in 
her  heart  of  his  deception. 

"Do  you  remember  that  beautiful  summer  evening, 
Henry,  when  we  were  enjoying  one  of  those  delightful 
sails  on  the  lake,  and  when  we  saw  the  sun  accom- 
panied in  its  setting  by  that  brillant  light,  and  encir- 
cled by  a  sky  of  such  radiant  splendor  ?  How  I  did 
laugh  when  you  said  the  sun  went  down  into  the 
water  to  kiss  its  shadow  because  it  had  nothing  else 

217 


218  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

to  kiss.  Do  you  forget  it?  You  know  you  said  you  had 
rather  be  a  boy  than  the  sun,  because  you  had  some- 
thing better  to  kiss  than  shadows.  What  a  magnifi- 
cent sunset  that  was !  Henry,  what  can  you  be 
thinking  of,  you  don't  seem  to  care  to  be  reminded 
now  of  those  happy,  thrice  happy  hours.  Why  ?  I 
know  I  do  you  wrong,  Henry,  to  talk  so.  I  know  I 
am  over-exacting.  But  I  should  die  were  I  to  think, 
that,  recalling  those  scenes,  when  we  we-re  so  happy 
together,  was  painful  to  you,  or  that  you  had  lost 
interest  in  them.  They  are  among  the  happiest 
hours  of  my  life.  Were  they  not  yours,  dearest 
Henry?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  love,  but  do  not  think  because  I  do  not 
on  the  instant  grow  enthusiastic  over  your  pleasing 
reference  to  them,  that  I  have  lost  any  interest  in  them 
They  were  my  happy  hours  too,  and  memory  is  busy 
filling  my  brain  with  the  recollection  of  hundreds  of 
other  like  scenes,  or  like  incidents.  Prattle  on,  my 
love,  and  I  will  never  tire  of  listening." 

"Now,  that  is  charming,  Henry.  I  like  to  hear 
you  talk  that  way.  What  a  merry  evening  that  was! 
I  can't  drive  it  from  me,  even  if  I  cared  to.  Do  you 
remember,  Henry,  when  you  said  the  shadows  chasing 
each  other  across  the  meadows,  through  the  pastures, 
and  skipping  over  the  fields  of  grain,  were  fairies 
bringing  flour  to  make  the  wheat;  and  I  told  you  the 
fairies  got  the  flour  from  the  great  white  clouds  that 
were  floating  over  our  heads?  Didn't  we  both  laugh 
at  the  silly  things  we  both  said?  Somehow  or  other, 
my  heart  is  not  as  light  now  as  it  was  then.  The 
recollection  of  those  innocent  fancies  brings  no  such 


THE   GHOST'S    DISPATCH.  219 

thrill  of  joy  to  my  heart  as  they  did  then.  Why  is 
it  Henry?" 

"  Oh,  you  are  getting  serious,  now  Your  cheerful 
disposition  can  not  brook  seriousness,  and  there  is  no 
serious  side  to  beautiful  sunsets  and  charming  fairy 
tales.  There  is  really  no  place  for  despondency  in 
your  heart,  Mary,  so  away  with  it,  and  tell  me  more 
about  those  shadows  and  those  fairies." 

"Oh,  yes,  there  were  other  shadows  that  came  and 
went.  I  am  so  glad  you  remember  them  now.  It 
was  those  fields  of  grain,  growing  just  where  we  see 
them  growing  now,  that  you  said  reminded  you  of 
the  voyage  of  life;  that  the  shadows  were  couriers 
which  came  in  advance  to  tell  the  golden  plants  to 
prepare  for  the  rain,  and  that  the  black  clouds  and 
the  wind  and  the  storm,  with  the  sunshine,  all 
helped  to  mature  the  yellow  grain.  That  was  real 
poetry;  and  how  it  used  to  gladden  my  heart  to  listen 
so  such  sweet  melody  from  your  lips.  I  wonder  why 
my  Henry,  whose  soul  was  once  so  full  of  such 
delicious  music,  now  sees  so  little  sentiment  in  the 
shadows,  and  so  little  grandeur  in  the  setting  sun, 
and  so  little  beauty  in  the  broad  fields  of  waving 
grain;  do  the  cxares  of  business  so  weigh  upon  my 
lover  that  he  wearies  in  telling  his  love,  and  desires 
no  longer  to  gaze  inside  the  books  that  nature  opens 
to  his  view  all  around  him  ?  Is  he  tired  of  the  poetry 
of  love?" 

Henry  listened  to  the  merry  prattle  of  the  innocent 
girl  and  wondered  if  it  meant  anything  more  than 
mere  prattle.  Taking  Mary's  hands  in  his  and  throw- 
ing all  the  kindly  feeling  that  was  possible  in,  his 
nature  into  his  words,  he  replied: 


220  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

"  Mary,  you  forget  I  am  older  now,  and  wiser,  I 
hope,  and  more  of  the  matter-of-fact  man  than  I  was 
then." 

"  No,  no,"  answered  back  the  girl,  "  I  do  not  for- 
get it.  It  is  all  true;  nor  do  I  forget  that  the  poetry 
born  of  love  never  dies  and  never  loses  its  magic 
power,  even  when  repeated  over  and  over  again.  I 
have  read  somewhere,  or  at  sometime  I  have  dreamed 
it,  that  love  never  grows  old,  that  it  is  changeless 
and  never  ends,  that  it  came  into  the  world  with  the 
first  created  life,  and  will  leave  the  world  with  the 
last.  It  came  when  God  came;  it  will  go  when  God 
goes.  All  else  may  change.  The  ocean  may  take 
the  place  of  the  dry  land,  the  mountains  may  glide 
away  and  sit  at  the  bottom  of  the  seas,  but  love 
lives  forever.  Though  love  has  had  a  language  of 
its  own  since  the  morning  stars  sang  together,  yet 
the  things  unsaid  of  love  are  more  than  the  things 
said.  Do  not  say  then,  Henry,  that  your  love  grows 
old  as  you  grow  older  in  years.  When  old  age  shall 
come  upon  us  both,  and  we  shall  have  quite  reached 
the  bottom  of  the  hill,  when  we  let  go  our  hands  to 
clasp  them  again  on  the  other  shore,  if  our  lives  are 
holy-" 

"  Mary,  Mary,  for  heaven's  sake,  say  vio  more  now. 
I  am  faint  and  sick  and  weary,  and — " 

"0,  Henry,  have  I  again  wounded  your  feelings? 
How  cruel  I  am!  Forgive  me,  do  forgive  me,  and  I 
will  be  more  careful  in  the  future.  Alas,  does  my 
childish  prattle  about  love  so  distress  my  darling?  I 
fear  you  have  something  on  your  mind,  Henry,  that 
is  worrying  you.  Will  you  not  let  your  Mary  share 
with  you  your  burthens,  whatever  they  may  be  ?" 


THE  GHOST'S   DISPATCH.  221 

"I  have  no  cares,  Mary;  no  troubles,  no  sorrows 
when  you  are  by  my  side.  When  you  spoke  of  holy 
love  and  clasping  hands  in  the  world  beyond,  the 
image  of  my  sainted  mother  rose  before  me  like  a 
living  being,  my  feelings  overcame  me,  my  head 
whirled,  and  I  knew  not  what  I  said.  I  am  myself 
now,  and  can  listen  to  your  innocent  chidings  all  the 
day,  and  bless  you  for  reminding  me  that  I  must  not 
cease  for  one  moment  to  tell  you  of  my  love." 

"No,  Henry;  I  am  not  so  exacting  as  that;  yet  I 
live  only  in  your  love.  Withdraw  but  a  glimmer  of 
it  and  I  die." 

The  lovers  separated.  The  one  to  enter  upon  a 
career  of  intrigue,  plotting  and  villiany  of  the 
deepest  dye;  the  other  to  retire  to  her  room  and 
wrestle  with  her  heart  to  keep  it  from  doubting  her 
lover's  love. 

The  next  morning  Henry  had  answered  a  call  for 
information  from  the  superintendent  of  the  road, 
when  the  wires  bore  a  message  which  so  startled  him 
that  he  shook  as  with  the  ague,  and  the  blood  rushed 
to  his  head  as  though  the  fever  and  the  chill  came 
together.  The  name  of  the  person  addressed  was 
Matilda  Winters.  Matilda  Winters !  Wlio  above 
the  earth  could  be  sending  a  dispatch  to  her?  She 
had  been  dead  nearly  a  year.  What  could  it  mean? 
Henry  had  no  time  to  soliloquize.  The  message  came 
quick  and  fast,  quicker  and  faster,  it  seemed  to  him, 
than  any  dispatch  that  ever  before  came  over  the 
wires.  So  quick  and  so  fast  that  his  pen  could  not 
keep  pace  with  the  click  of  the  instrument,  and  had 
the  click  come  ever  so  slow  it  would  have  made  no 


222  THE  MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

difference;  he  could  not  have  put  the  message  on 
paper  had  his  life  been  at  stake.  The  pen  dropped 
from  his  hands,  his  whole  frame  trembled  from  head 
to  foot,  the  room  suddenly  darkened,  and  he  reeled 
and  fell  like  a  drunken  man/  The  dizziness  lasted 
but  a  moment.  The  fall  aroused  him  to  a  conscious- 
ness of  the  situation.  He  realized  that  he  must  act, 
and  act  quickly.  He  had  heard  enough  of  the  message 
to  understand  that  he  alone  of  all  the  world  must 
hear  it,  and  that  all  his  hopes  of  the  future  depended 
on  his  keeping  it  from  the  knowledge  of  any  other 
human  being.  Rising  to  his  feet  he  made  a  super- 
human effort  to  throw  off  the  fearful  incubus  which 
had  borne  him  to  the  floor,  and,  grasping  the  key  of 
the  instrument,  he  asked  that  the  message  be  repeated. 
The  words  commence  to  come,  0,  too  slowly  now,  for 
it  seemed  minutes  between  each  syllable;  but  he 
listened  to  each  click,  click,  click,  as  they  came,  one 
after  the  other,  like  a  battalion  of  fiends  passing 
before  his  eyes,  each  fiend  screaming  as  if  to  let  all 
the  world  know  that  this  man's  crime  should  be 
known  to  all  the  world. 

Not  a  word  was  put  on  paper.  It  was  a  ghost's  dis- 
patch sent  to  a  dead  woman.  It  ought  never  to  have 
been  sent.  It  ought  never  to  have  been  received.  Thus 
he  mused,  but  only  for  a  moment.  In  his  breast  the 
terrible  message  was  locked  up  as  in  an  iron  chest 
and  the  chest  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  "  Saved 
again,  as  by  a  miracle!  What  a  commotion  in  my 
brain!  What  a  tumult  in  my  heart!  A  message 
from  Henry  Winters!  God  in  heaven,  what  can  it 
mean?  The  Henry  Winters  I  left  lifeless  on  that 


THE  GHOST*S  DISPATCH.  223 

unknown  shore?  He  alive!  He  to  sail  this  day 
from  Liverpool  for  New  York?  He  coming  to  his 
old  home,  and  he  to  bask  again  in  the  light  of  Mary 
Holbrook's  love?  She  to  be  his  bride?  No,  no;  it 
can  not,  it  must  not  be.  No  mortal  now  must  come 
between  me  and  her  I  love.  Henry  Winters'  plans 
must  be  thwarted.  .  He  must  be  prevented  from 
coming  to  Bradford  Junction  or  communicating 
with  Mary  Holbrook  until  I  shall  have  made  her  my 
wife.  That  accomplished,  and  the  arrangements  I 
have  been  making  to  live  in  a  foreign  land  carried  out, 
I  will  run  all  risk  of  even  his  discovering  us." 

The  impostor  sat  down,buried  his  head  in  his  hands, 
and  cooly  contemplated  a  plan  to  prevent  the  pro- 
posed visit  of  the  real  Henry  Winters  to  his  old  home. 
His  thoughts  flew  thick  and  fast.  Anything,  every- 
thing, no  matter  what,  must  be  done  to  stay  that 
fellow's  coming.  Desperate  means  should  be  em- 
ployed if  necessary.  Even  his  rival's  death  was  dis- 
cussed with  his  conscience,  and  it  was  convinced  the 
crime  ought  to  be  committed  rather  than  the  impostor 
should  fail  in  his  scheme  to  marry  Mary  Holbrook. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

MANNING  ENCOUNTERS   GROUNDWIG. 

It  was  a  lucky  circumstance  which  placed  the 
impostor  in  charge  of  the  telegraph,  or  else  that 
message  would  have  been  in  Mary's  hands  and  he 
would  have  been  an  outlaw  against  whose  life  every 
man's  hand  might  be  raised.  How  wisely  providence 
plans,  thought  the  impostor,  and  how  strangely  the 
things  He  proposes  comes  about.  Again  his  tele- 
graph service  came  to  his  aid.  Without  sharing  his 
plans  with  others  and  knowing  that  he  could  use  the 
wires  with  the  utmost  secrecy,  he  sent  the  following 
dispatch: 

To  MRS.  CAROLINE  CARTER,  HOLMSTEAD,  CONN.: 

I  am  in  trouble.  You  alone  can  help  me  out.  Leave  on 
first  train.  Do  not  fail.  Wire  me  when  you  will  start. 

HENRY. 

It  was  two  weeks  to  the  time  fixed  for  the  wed- 
ding. In  ten  days  at  the  outside,  Henry  Winters 
would  be  in  New  York,  and  in  three  days  more  he 
could  reach  his  home.  To  detain  him  in  that  city 
and  prevent  his  leaving  until  the  marriage  should 
have  been  solemnized  was  the  first  plot  to  con- 
sider. If,  upon  the  discussion  of  that  scheme  with 
the  adviser  he  had  summoned,  it  should  be  considered 
impracticable,  then  he  would  take  the  chance  and 
run  the  risk  of  arousing  Mary's  suspicions,  by 
undertaking  to  persuade  her  to  fix  an  earlier  day 
for  the  marriage. 

m 


3IAXXIXQ   ENCOUNTERS  GROUNDWIG.  225 

The  idea  of  living  in  a  foreign  land  had  been  dis- 
cussed, and  as  Mary  had  no  kindred  to  hold  her  to 
her  old  home,  she  consented  to  that  plan  and  became 
earnestly  in  favor  of  it.  It  had  already  been  given 
out  that  the  bridal  tour  would  be  across  the  ocean, 
but  it  was  thought  best  not  to  acquaint  the  neighbor- 
hood of  the  fact  that  the  leave-talking  after  the  wed- 
ding might  be  a  final  one. 

Thus  far  and  thus  successfully  had  the  plans  of 
Henry  Winters  advanced  when  the  awful  message 
came  from  the  supposed  dead  to  the  known  dead. 

In  good  time  the  Mrs.  Carter  arrived.  She  was 
the  woman  in  black,,  She  had  been  instructed  by 
telegraph  to  repair  to  a  secluded  spot  in  the  adjacent 
forest,  where  she  was  at  once  joined  by  the  impostor. 
They  met  inside  a  rude  cabin,  built  by  a  woodsman 
for  shelter  iu  the  winter,  and  hardly  had  the  two  per- 
sons recognized  each  other,  than  Henry  whispered  in 
a  tremulous  voice  that  would  at  such  a  time  and 
place  have  frightened  into  hysterics  any  other  woman 
save  such  as  she  : 

"  Mother,  where  is  Groundwig  ?" 

At  the  mention  of  this  name,  the  woman  started  as 
if  to  dodge  a  blow  aimed  at  her  head,  and,  shaking 
like  an  aspen  leaf,  and  with  a  voice  unlike  that  of  a 
human  being,  and  uncontrollable  as  it  was  unnatural, 
she  answered  : 

"Why  do  you  ask  that  question  of  me  ?  " 

"  Because  I  want  to  use  him,  I  want  to  use  him 
bad,  I  want  to  use  him  quick  and  I  know  that  you 
not  only  know  where  he  is,  but  that  where  you  go  he 
goes,  and  where  he  goes  you  go.  Tell  me  quick ;  is 

15 


226  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

he  not  near  here  ?  I  did  not  telegraph  you  to  bring 
him  with  you,  because  a  woman  of  your  quick  brain 
oftener  does  the  right  thing  without  the  telling  than 
by  the  telling." 

"  I  can  tell  you  he  is  not  with  me,  and,  further- 
more, I  do  not  knew  where  he  is.  Can  I  not  bring 
some  one  else  to  assist  you?" 

"  Mother,  I  know  you  speak  falsely.  This  is  no 
time  to  trifle  with  me.  The  minutes  passing  so  rap- 
idly may  be  fatal  ones,  and  you  know  what  it  means 
if  my  plans  miscarry.  I  tell  you,  woman,  it  is  a  des- 
perate scheme  I  must  have  executed,  and  it  will  take 
a  desperate  man  to  do  it.  Do  you  know  of  another 
creature  living  that  can  fill  the  place  of  Silas  Ground- 
wig  when  there  is  something  unusually  damnable  to 
be  accomplished  ?  " 

"  I  do  not  understand  you,  Charles  Manning,  if 
you—" 

"  Hush,  woman!  For  heaven's  sake,  do  not  speak 
that  name  here.  The  leaves  are  listening;  the  very 
air  is  full  of  ears,  and  that  name  pronounced  outside 
these  woods  and  all  is  lost.  Tell  me,  and  tell  me 
quick,  where  is  Ground  wig?" 

"  Before  I  answer  that  question,  you  tell  me  what 
this  wicked  scheme  is,  that  only  he  can  do." 

"  Mrs.  Carter,  you  are  mad  to  keep  me  here  in 
waiting,  even  for  only  a  moment.  You  will  ruin  all 
by  your  foolish  curiosity.  Know  then  that  I  want 
him  to  go  to  New  York,  and  I  want  you  to  take  a 
message  to  him,  instructing  him  how  to  carry  out 
the  scheme  I  have  planned." 

"  Tell  me  what  that  scheme  is  and  I  will  take  yoiu 


MANNING   ENCOUNTERS   GROUNDWIG.  22? 

message  to  him,"  and  had  she  been  made  of  iron  she 
could  not  have  bore  herself  more  coldly  or  answered 
more  unconcernedly. 

"Will  you  pledge  sternal  secrecy?" 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  like  that.  Secrets  I  can  keep.  No 
trouble  for  me  to  do  so.  Who  on  the  face  of  the 
earth  am  I  to  share  the  secret  with  except  with  you 
and  Groundwig?  I  swear  now  and  eternally." 

"  Then  hear  me,  Henry  Winters  is  not  dead.  0 
do  not  start  nor  interrupt  me.  Enough  for  you  to 
know  he  has  sent  a  message  here  that  three  days  ago 
he  would  sail  from  Liverpool  for  New  York.  In  six 
days  he  will  land  in  that  city.  You  see  precious 
time  has  already  been  lost.  In  two  hours  the  east- 
bound  limited  express  is  due  here.  I  will  signal  it 
and  you  must  get  aboard  and  make  all  speed  to 
deliver  Groundwig  my  letter." 

"  But  Groundwig  is  not  East,  he  is  West." 

"  West !  What  great  crime  is  he  planning  in  the 
West?  No  matter.  I  don't  care.  In  three  hours 
the  mail  train  goes  west.  Be  ready  to  take  that. 
How  far  west  is  he?  How  long  will  it  take  you  to 
reach  him?  Woman,  I  must  know  that.  Speak,  I 
beseech  you,  speak  quick,  don't  waste  another  pre- 
cious moment  trembling  as  though  the  night  air  was 
chilly  when  the  heat  is  really  oppressive." 

The  woman  was  now  so  agitated  that  it  was  with 
difficulty  she  could  utter  a  word.  For  the  first  time 
she  threw  aside  her  veil  and  with  a  wild,  demoniac 
look,  exclaimed: 

"Groundwig  is  this  moment  at  the  house  of 
Mary—  " 


228  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

The  impostor  did  not  wait  for  the  sentence  to  be 
completed.  He  knew  too  well  what  Groundwig's 
presence  at  Mary  Holbrook's  meant.  The  girl  had 
crossed  his  path  and  he  had  sworn  to  be  revenged. 
With  steps  fleeter  than  the  deer  the  impostor 
bounded  through  the  forest  and  was  not  many  min- 
utes reaching  the  house.  It  was  past  the  hour  of 
midnight.  Not  a  light  to  be  seen  anywhere.  All 
was  still  as  silence  itself.  The  door  opened  with  the 
turn  of  the  knob,  and  as  it  opened  a  man  sought 
to  rush  out.  The  impostor  quickly  grappled  him 
and  held  him  as  in  a  vise.  He  knew  well  who  his 
prisoner  was,  and  calling  him  by  name,  demanded 
to  know  the  purpose  of  his  visit.  Not  waiting  for  an 
answer,  but  with  one  hand  grasping  the  fellow  by 
the  throat,  with  the  other  he  struck  a  match  and  lit 
a  lamp  he  saw  standing  on  the  table.  A  glance 
revealed  the  whole  situation. 

Mary  Holbrook  lay  prostrate  on  the  floor,  sense- 
less, and  apparently  inanimate,  perhaps  dead,  killed 
by  the  villain,  who,  by  another  turn  of  the  hand, 
could  be  sent  to  make  his  peace  with  heaven.  The 
turn  was  not  made.  One  miscreant  had  further  use 
for  the  other.  Flinging  him  to  the  floor,  and  telling 
him  if  he  moved  a  finger  he  would  choke  him  to  the 
death,  he  bent  over  the  girl,  and,  satisfied  she  was 
alive,  lifted  her  in  his  arms  and  laid  her  upon  the 
lounge.  He  then  noticed  a  pen  in  her  hand.  He 
knew  what  that  meant.  Silas  Ground  wig  was  up  to 
his  old  tricks.  There  was  not  a  moment  to  lose. 
The  fellow  was  in  the  act  of  rising.  Grappling  him 
again,  Charles  demanded  the  paper  he  had  forced 


MANNING   ENCOUNTERS   GROUNDWIG.          229 

Mary  Holbrook  to  sign.  Denial  was  useless.  Yet 
the  denial  was  made,  and  Charles,  forcibly  thrusting 
his  hand  into  the  fellow's  pocket,  pulled  out  what 
appeared  to  be  a  legal  document.  Before  he  could 
open  it  to  ascertain  how  wicked  the  plot  the  fellow- 
was  engaged  in  this  time,  Groundwig  spitting  out 
the  words,  with  a  hissing  lisp,  whispered  in  a  voice 
which  sounded  as  though  it  came  from  the  throat 
of  a  fiend  from  the  regions  below,  bade  the  young 
man,  "  put  back  that  paper  and  let  me  go,  or  I  will 
tell  Mary  Holbrook  you  are  Charles  Manning  and  not 
Henry  Winters!"  Without  a  word  in  reply  Charles 
handed  him  back  the  paper,  and  Silas  Groundwig 
went  out  into  the  night  and  disappeared  in  the  forest. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

HOW  GOOD    GOD    IS    TO    FILL    OUR   BITTEREST  CUPS 
WITH    DREAMS. 

At  the  moment  of  Groundwig's  escape  Mary 
awoke,  and,  seeing  her  lover  bending  over  her,  she 
threw  her  arms  about  his  neck  exclaiming  in  the 
most  agonizing  manner:  "  Thank  God,  it  was  only  a 
dream! " 

"But,  Mary,  dear,  it  was  not  a  dream.  It  was  real 
that—" 

"Not  a  dream?  Not  a  dream,  did  you  say?  "What! 
that  you  are  not  Henry  Winters,  not  my  Henry,  my 
love,  my  life!  Not  a  dream!  You  say  it  was  not  a 
dream?  0  explain,  explain  before  I  go  mad,  raving, 
stark  mad." 

"  Calm  yourself,  my  love,  you  are  excited  now,  and 
no  wonder.  Yes,  I  see  you  have  dreamed  many  horrid 
dreams  and  imagined  all  sorts  of  dreadful  things, 
but  it  was  no  dream  that  a  villain  entered  your  house 
and  threatened  your  life  unless  you  signed  a  paper  he 
thrust  in  your  face — that  was  real,  that  was- no  dream 
for  I  saw  the  monster  put  the  paper  in  his  pocket, 
but  he  fled  before  I  could  grapple  with  him  and  take 
it  from  him." 

"  Yes,  yes;  it  all  comes  to  me  now.  I  remember 
so  distinctly.  His  voice  sounded  so  like  that  awful 
Ground  wig.  His  finger  marks  must  be  on  my  throat 
for  he  choked  me  until  I  could  not  breathe,  and  said 

330 


GOD'S  GIFT  OF  DREAMS.  231 

he  would  kill  me  unless  I  signed  his  paper.  No,  he 
didn't  tell  me  what  it  was,  and  0, 1  was  too  frightened 
to  read  it  when  he  told  me  to.  He  put  a  pistol  to  my 
head,  and  with  a  horrid  oath  said  he  would  kill  me 
unless  I  signed  my  name.  I  took  the  pen  and  wrote, 
and  then  I  must  have  swooned,  for  I  remember  noth- 
ing more  until  I  awoke  and  found  you  bending  over 
me.  0,  horror!  that  was  all  real,  and  real  as  it  was, 
it  was  a  merry  frolic,  yes,  a  merry  frolic,  compared 
to  the  dreadful  dream  I  did  dream  afterward.  A  great 
monster  stood  over  me.  I  thought  it  was  Ground- 
wig.  His  big,  black,  glaring  eyes  pierced  through 
my  very  heart,  and  I  dreamed  he  was  killing  me  when 
you  came  and  caught  him  by  the  throat,  and  then, 
through  his  clenched  teeth,  he  hissed  in  a  whisper, 
'  I  will  tell  Mary  Holbrook  you  are  Charles  Man- 
ning and  not  Henry  Winters/  and  then  I  awoke. 
How  good  God  is  to  fill  our  bitterest  cups  with 
dreams." 

Charles  taking  Mary's  hands  in  his,  looked  straight 
into  her  eyes  as  if  to  closely  study  her  thoughts,  and 
failing  to  detect  the  least  suspicion  in  her  mind  that 
it  was  not  a  dream,  implored  her  to  compose  herself 
and  let  such  a  frightful  fancy  pass  forever  from  her 
thoughts.  "  It  was  but  a  dream  "  he  said,  "a  horrid 
and  a  strange  dream ;  its  strangeness  makes  it  the 
more  a  dream  ;  and  were  every  other  dream  that 
every  mortal  ever  dreamt  to  come  true,  and  were 
every  dream  that  every  mortal  should  dream  here- 
after to  come  true,  the  one  my  Mary  dreamt  never 
could.  Let  heaven  be  praised." 

"Amen,"  responded  the  timid  girl,  who  had  been 


232  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

devouring  each  word  as  it  fell  from  Charles  Man- 
ning's lips,  as  though  her  lover  were  a  saint  or  fiend 
and  she  knew  not  which.  Then  the  old  aunt,  who 
had  been  aroused  from  her  slumbers  by  the  unusual 
tumult,  came,  and  Charles,  placing  Mary  in  her  care, 
kissed  the  pale  cheek  of  the  still  frightened  girl  and 
bidding  her  good-night  went  out  into  the  darkness, 
where  he  met,  as  he  knew  he  would,  both  the  woman 
in  black  and  Silas  Groundwig. 

Fox  a  moment  neither  spoke.  Charles  broke  the 
silence  by  demanding  of  Groundwig  the  paper  he 
had  forced  Mary  Holbrook  to  sign.  Groundwig  did 
not  possess  the  power  to  resist  the  demand,  but 
plead  the  privilege  of  burning  the  paper.  Manning 
consented.  The  document  was  produced,  Charles 
examined  the  signature,  saw  it  was  in  the  trembling 
hand  of  Mary  Holbrook,  then  lighting  a  match,  set 
the  paper  on  fire  and  watched  it  burn  until  only  a 
little  spot  of  black  ashes  and  Silas  Ground  wig's  black 
heart  knew  the  paper's  contents. 

"Silas  Groundwig!  "  The  name  was  barely  whis- 
pered— Charles  Manning  whispered  it — but  it  was 
one  of  those  whispers  that  devils  might  envy  the  art 
to  utter.  ' '  You  are  in  my  power;  you  know  it  better 
than  I  do.  I  propose  now  to  have  a  little  plain  talk 
with  you.  You  sent  me  adrift  when  I  was  a  mere  lad, 
because  I  was  born  out  of  wedlock.  This  is  the  first 
time  for  many  years  that  I  have  met  you  and  that 
woman  together.  Your  wife,  Henry  Winters'  mother, 
is  dead.  Your  husband,  the  lying  Hickman,  who 
perjured  his  soul  in  the  will  case,  has  fled  from  justice 
and  will  never  return,  and  besides,  your  marriage  with 


GOD'S  GIFT  OF  DREAMS.  233 

him  was  illegal  because  he  had  another  wife  at  the 
time  you  married  him.  I  am  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
I  want  you  to  join  hands.  Don't  hesitate.  Don't 
protest.  There  is  no  legal  impediment  in  the  way 
of  your  marriage.  I  see  you  understand  me.  So, 
joining  hands,  by  virtue  of  the  authority  vested  in' 
me  by  the  laws  of  this  State  I  pronounce  you  man 
and  wife.  This  act  removes  from  me  all  taint  of 
illegitimacy.  I  can  now  hold  up  my  head  and  say  to 
the  world,  lama  man.  Do  not  go,  Silas  Ground  wig, 
I  have  more  business  with  you.  You  have  heard  the 
story  of  my  meeting  Henry  Winters.  Don't  start.  You 
need  not  be  afraid  of  him  just  yet.  You  have  also 
learned  how  I  became  madly,  passionately,  insanely 
in  love  with  Mary  Holbrook.  Henry  Winters  has 
only  himself  to  blame  for  it.  He  told  to  me  the  story 
of  his  love,  not  only  once,  but  a  hundred  times,  and, 
as  he  dwelt  upon  her  charms,  her  loveliness  of  person, 
her  beauty  of  character,  it  was  my  fate  to  love.  I 
could  not  resist  that  fate.  I  swore  to  marry  her.  That 
I  might  do  so  I  have  sacrified  my  honor  and  whatever 
good  name  I  may  have  ever  had,  and  all  the  hope  I 
ever  possessed  of  life  beyond  the  grave.  But  my  love 
is  sincere  and  pure  as  mortal  ever  had  for  woman.  I 
can  not  make  myself  believe  otherwise.  I  have  told 
you  before  that  Henry  Winters  was  dead,  and  you 
have  rejoiced  over  it  because  your  life  was  in  his 
hands  should  he  ever  return.  Now,  Silas  Groundwig, 
let  me  tell  you  that  Henry  Winters  lives,  and,  well 
don't  interrupt  me,  and  pray  don't  faint,  fainting  is 
woman's  privilege  when  shocked,  not  that  of  a  strong 
man;  hear  me  through — he  will  land  in  New  York  in 


234  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

less  than  a  week,  and  will  be  here  in  three  days  aftei- 
ward.  This  vast  continent  is  not  big  enough  for 
both  you  and  he  to  live  on  together.  He  will  hunt  you 
down  as  the  son  hunts  tfre  assassin  of  his  mother. 
You  and  I  both  have  a  like  interest  in  preventing  him 
from  leaving  New  York.  Ah,  I  see  you  comprehend 
the  drift  of  my  remarks.  It  is  well.  I  see  you  are 
willing  to  undertake  the  jcb,  and  your  fruitful  mind 
already  has  a  plan  for  its  a  '.complishment.  But  there 
must  be  no  tragedy  unless  the  drama  will  not  satisfy 
the  audience.  You  understand  me  ?  You  are  to 
proceed  at  once  to  New  York  and  detain  Winters 
there  until  after  the  marriage.  The  time  fixed  for 
that  is  only  ten  days  distant. 

"Mary  and  I  have  the  sale  of  our  property  nearly 
completed.  Immediately  upon  our  marriage  we  shall 
make  a  foreign  tour,  and  in  some  great  city  be  lost 
forever,  as  far  as  Henry  Winters  will  ever  know.  I 
shall  be  in  charge  of  the  telegraph,  and  you  can  send 
your  messages  to  me,  and  I  will  risk  all  publicity. 
My  dispatches  will  be  sent  you  at  the  old  place,  and 
in  the  old  cipher..  .  You  do  your  part  faithfully, 
which  I  know  you  will,  as  your  life  depends  upon  it; 
and  to  prove  to  you  that  I  am  your  friend,  and  wish 
you  no  ill,  I  will  deposit  three  thousand  dollars  to 
your  credit  in  the  Highland  Bank,  and  mail  the  cer- 
tificate to  your  address.  Or,  if  you  succeed  in  the 
plan  you  have  for  keeping  Winters  in  New  York 
until  after  the  wedding,  you  can  return  here,  and 
I  will  pay  you  the  money  in  person.  You  know  you 
can  trust  me.  With  that  sum  you  and  she  can  go  into 
some  mining  camp  beyond  the  Eocky  mountains, 


235 

and,  safe  from  discovery,  you  can  both  spend  the  rest 
of  your  days  in  atoning  for  your  sins." 

Groundwig  could  not  conceal  the  emotion  of  his 
feelings  during  the  time  G'harles  was  giving  him  these 
instructions.  He  was  overcome  with  the  startling 
intelligence  so  unexpectedly  imparted  to  him.  He 
was  ready  for  the  encounter.  He  had  so  great  a  per- 
sonal interest  in  its  success  that  Charles  had  no  fears 
but  the  outcome  would  be  all  that  both  could  desire. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

I  FORGOT.      I  FORGOT. 

Never  was  disguise  more  complete.  An  associate 
of  a  lifetime  would  not  know  Silas  Groundwig  as  he 
sat  in  the  office  of  the  steamship  company  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  the  City  of  Home.  Two  trusty  villains 
were  with  him.  Will  they  succeed  in  their  hellish 
scheme?  Groundwig  is  long-headed,  adroit  and 
cunning.  His  plans  are  not  matured.  He  must  act 
on  circumstances  as  they  present  themselves,  and  there 
is  no  danger,  but  he  will  act  quickly  and  resort  to  any 
means  to  accomplish  his  purpose.  The  tugs  are 
coming  to  the  dock  with  the  steamer's  passengers. 
Henry  Winters  is  one  of  the  first  to  land.  He  hur- 
riedly calls  a  cab,  gives  directions  about  his  baggage, 
has  a  moment's  conversation  with  the  cabman  about 
a  matter  which  must  be  private,  for  he  asks  his  ques- 
tions in  a  whisper,  is  driven  to  thepostoffice,  inquires 
at  the  general  delivery  for  letters,  there  are  none,  he 
turns  pale,  looks  anxiously  about  as  if  to  find  some- 
body who  will  make  an  explanation,  almost  totters 
to  the  cab,  is  driven  to  a  jewelry  store  on  Broadway, 
alights,  goes  in,  and,  after  a  brief  conversation  with 
the  proprietor,  unlocks  a  hand-bag  which  he  had  all 
along  grasped  tightly,  and  exposes  to  view  a  rich  col- 
lection of  precious  stones,  which  he  desires  to  dispose 
of.  Groundwig  is  near  by,  sees  the  display,  steps 
out  upon  the  walk,  calls  a  policeman,  has  a  few 

236 


I  FOKGOT.      I   FORGOT.  237 

words  with  him  in  a  low  voice,  nods  his  head  toward 
Henry  inside  the  store,  the  officer  enters,  and,  putting 
his  hand  011  Henry's  shoulder,  makes  him  his  pris- 
oner. 

The  valuables  are  taken  possession  of  by  the  officer, 
and  Henry  is  marched  to  the  station  house,  and  the 
next  morning  is  brought  before  a  magistrate  for 
examination.  Ground v/ig  and-  his  assistant  villains 
having  bet'ii  held  in  custody  as  witnesses,  appear  and 
testify  against  the  young  man.  Groundwig  giving 
the  assumed  name  of  Robert  Newcomb,  swore  that 
lie  took  passage  on  the  City  of  Rome,  from  Liver- 
pool to  Xew  York,  on  its  last  trip,  and  when  some 
two  days  out  from  the  American  shore  his  state-room 
was  entered  and  the  diamonds  and  other  precious 
stones  which  the  prisoner  had  offered  for  sale  yester- 
day were  stolen;  that  the  prisoner  was  a  passenger 
on  the  same  trip  and  knew  the  witness  had  the  dia- 
monds in  his  possession;  that  upon  discovering  his 
loss  he  suspected  the  prisoner,  _b,ut  was  unable  to 
obtain  proof  that  would  warrant  his  arrest;  that  he 
continued  to  watch  the  suspected  party  and  called 
the  ship's  detective  to  his  assistance;  that  the  two 
followed  the  prisoner  from  the  steamship  to  the  post- 
office,  and  then  to  the  jeweler's,  where  the  property 
was  taken  out  of  a  satchel  by  the  prisoner  and  was 
being  disposed  of  to  the  jeweler  when  the  arrest  was 
made. 

"'  .Mr.  Newcomb,  do  you  recognize  this  property  as 
:me  that  \vas  stolen  from  you  on  board  the  City 
of  Rome:  Jstrate. 

"  I  do,  your  honor/'  answered  Mr.  Newcomb. 


238       THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

The  detective  was  sworn  and  corroborated  New- 
comb's  evidence  in  every  particular.  The  jeweler 
testified  to  the  property  exposed  in  court  as  the  same 
offered  to  him  for  sale  by  the  prisoner.  The  officer 
swore  he  arrested  the  prisoner  while  in  the  very  act  of 
selling  the  goods. 

"This  seems  to  be  a  very  clear  case,"  said  the  Magis- 
trate. "Prisoner  stand  up.  What  is  your  name?' 

"Henry  Winters,  if  your  honor,  please,"  was  the 
answer  given  in  such  a  pleasant  voice  and  with  such 
a  mannerly  bow,  that  the  magistrate,  the  officers  and 
spectators  began  to  look  upon  the  culprit  in  the  dock 
with  more  interest  than  they  usually  take  in  such 
cases. 

"Prisoner,  have  you  any  witnesses?"  asked  the 
Magistrate. 

The  prisoner,  embarrassed  and  confused,  replied: 
"  None,  your  honor,  but  I  would  like  to  be  sworn 
and  tell  my  story." 

The  magistrate  swore  the  prisoner,  and  he  com- 
menced by  reciting  the  story  of  his  being  kidnapped, 
shipped  on  the  Lucky  Star  for  India,  of  the  start 
home,  of  the  shipwreck,  landing  on  the  shores  of  an 
unknown  continent,  of  his  sickness  and  apparent 
death,  of  his  restoration  to  life,  of  his  travels  in  that 
vast  country,  of  his  search  for  precious  stones  and  his 
good  luck,  of  his  taking  passage  on  the  City  of  Rome, 
of  his  landing  in  New  York  on  yesterday,  his  attempt 
to  dispose  of  some  of  the  stones  for  ready  money,  and 
an  unqualified  denial  that  the  property  belonged  to 
Newcomb. 

The  magistrate  heard  the  story  through.    He  had 


1  FOKGOT.      I   FORGOT.  239 

been  a  magistrate  in  a  big  city  too  long  to  be  influ- 
enced by  such  a  narrative.  He  had  heard  them  be- 
fore. Turning  to  the  prisoner  he  remarked,  "  Young 
man,  your  story  is  altogether  too  fishy.  It  won't  wash. 
You  are  given  to  romancing.  When  you  get  out  of 
this  scrape,  I  advise  you  to  turn  an  honest  man,  quit 
stealing,  and  go  to  writing  novels.  With  such  a 
remarkable  imagination  and  with  the  skill  you  pos- 
sess to  tell  a  story  so  well,  you  can  make  more  money 
with  your  pen  than  with  your  burglar  tools.  The 
officer  will  take  you  back  to  jail  to  await  the  action  of 
the  grand  jury.  If  you  have  friends  who  will  aid  you, 
the  bail  bond  will  be  put  at  three  thousand  dollars." 

"Those  diamonds,  if  your  honor  please,  are  worth 
more  than  that  sum.  Are  they  not  good  security  for 
my  appearance,  when  wanted  ? "  asked  the  prisoner. 

"  Young  man,  are  you  crazy?  Are  not  those  dia- 
monds the  property  of  Mr.  Xewcomb,  and  not  yours?" 
responded  the  justice. 

"  I  forgot,  I  forgot,"  said  the  prisoner. 

And  the  officer  marched  Henry  Winters  to  jail. 

It  was  no  time  now  to  moralize  on  the  wickedness 
of  men.  It  was  no  time  to  conjecture  why  neither  his 
mother  nor  Mary  had  written  him,  as  he  had  re- 
quested in  his  cable  dispatch.  Things  were  too 
serious,  and  the  present  required  the  perfect  control 
and  command  of  all  his  faculties.  Somebody  was 
plotting,  and  he  was  the  victim.  It  might  be  the 
continuation  of  the  old  conspiracy,  or  this  one  might 
stand  alone  by  itself.  No  matter.  Something  mart 
be  done,  and  done  quickly.  How  and  what  was  the 
puzzling  question.  His  first  thought  was  to  send  for 


240  THE   MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

some  person  who  knew  him.  He  ran  over  in  his  own 
mind  who  of  his  acquaintances  might  be  in  New 
York.  He  could  not  call  to  mind  a  single  person  in 
that  great  city  that  knew  him  or  he  knew.  But 
stay.  There  is  Captain  Bodfish,  of  the  ill-fated 
"Lucky  Star."  He  lived  in  New  York.  He  might 
be  in  the  city  now.  He  could  corroborate  a  good 
part  of  the  story  he  had  told  the  magistrate.  How 
to  find  him  was  the  question.  He  asked  the  guard 
if  he  knew  Captain  Bodfish.  No,  he  did  not  know 
him,  but  if  Henry  wanted  him  to  come  to  the  jail, 
and  would  give  the  street  and  number  where  he  re- 
sided, or  did  business,  he  should  be  sent  for  at  once. 
Henry  knew  neither.  Look  in  the  directory.  Yes, 
the  name  of  Bodfish  is  there,  and  so  are  several  of 
the  same  name,  and  which  is  the  one  Heary  wants? 
That  information  he  can  not  give.  Will  tfce  jailer 
send  a  messenger  among  the  shipping  and  find  out 
who  owned  the  "  Lucky  Star  "  that  was  wrecked  on 
a  foreign  coast  some  two  years  since?  ' '  If  the  owner's 
name  is  ascertained,  ask  him  for  the  address  of  the 
Captain  Bodfish  who  was  the  master  of  that  ship  when 
it  was  wrecked.  If  he  can  be  found,  bring  him  to  the 
jail,  and  he  will  soon  clear  me  of  this  great  crime." 
Henry's  wishes  were  gratified.  A  messenger  was  sent 
as  directed.  It  was  not  many  hours  before  Captain 
Bodfish,  who,  as  luck  would  have  it,  had  just  returned 
from"  a  sea  voyage,  was  admitted  to  the  jail,  and 
Henry  was  taken  from  his  cell  into  the  Captain's 
presence.  Henry  was  overjoyed  to  see  his  old  friend, 
and  rushing  up  to  him  in  the  most  cordial  manner, 
sought  to  grasp  him  by  the  hand,  but  the  Captain 


I  FORGOT.      I  FORGOT.  241 

turned  aside,  and  coldly  refused  to  accept  the  prof- 
fered recognition.  Henry  was  dumbfounded.  His 
feelings  were  hurt  to  the  quick.  "What!  my  old 
comrade  in  danger  and  distress,  in  suffering  and  dis- 
aster on  sea  and  land,  refuse  a  friendly  shake  of  the 
hand,  when  God  knows  if  ever  man  wanted  a  friend  in 
need,  I  want  one  now  !" 

"  Charles  Manning,"  replied  the  Captain,  "  I  wish 
to  have  nothing  to  do  with  you.  You  deceived  me 
once.  You  gave  me  your  sacred  word  when  we  parted 
in  Boston,  that  would  I  loan  you  money  to  reach 
your  friends,  you  would  return  it  to  me  in  a  week. 
From  that  day  to  this,  I  never  heard  a  word  from 
/  you.  I  do  not  know  what  crime  you  are  charged 
with,  but  I  warrant  you  it  is  stealing,  because  the 
mate  of  the  Sober  Fritz  told  me  he  suspected  you  of 
pilfering  from  him  while  on  board  that  ship.  It  is 
enough  for  me  to  know  that  a  man  who  was  my 
messmate  in  encountering  the  dangers  and  hardships 
of  a  fearful  shipwreck,  violated  his  word  of  honor  and 
refused  to  redeem  a  pledge  to  repay  the  small  amount 
of  money  I  loaned  him.  I  supect  you,  too,  of  a  great 
crime,  but  as  it  is  only  suspicion,  I  will  not  name  it. 
You  must  seek  other  assistance  to  aid  you,  for  I  will 
not  give  you  even  enough  to  pay  fora  night's  lodging, 
though  I  judge  that  paying  for  your  lodging  is  the 
least  of  your  trouble  to-night.  Good-bye,  Charles 
Manning." 

"Captain  Bodfish,  hold  a  moment,  for  heaven's 
sake,  don't  turn  away  without  a  chance  for  me  to  say 
a  word.  I  am  not  Charles  Manning,  I  am  Henry 
Winters!" 

16 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

IS  IT  CHARLES   MAXXIKG  OR  HENRY  WINTERS  ? 

Captain  Bodfish  had  great  difficulty  in  controlling 
his  feelings.  First  came  the  belief  that  he  was  being 
imposed  upon  in  the  most  wicked  manner.  Then 
suddenly  would  flash  into  his  mind  the  question, 
" Suppose  he  is  really  Henry  Winters?"  But  the 
scene  in  the  cabin  on  that  far-away  shore  came  quick 
with  its  answer :  "  Henry  AVinters  is  dead."  So 
firmly  believing,  the  Captain  replied : 

"Go  on,  sir,  with  your  bare-faced  deception  and 
your  base  and  wicked  falsehoods  as  long  as  you  please, 
but  you  must  talk  to  others,  not  to  me.  I  will  not 
listen.  You  have  deceived  me  once,  I  tell  you.  You 
will  never  deceive  me  again.  Blackhearted  impos- 
tor !  Expect  to  soften  my  heart  by  representing 
yourself  to  be  another  and  he  one  of  the  noblest  and 
purest  young  men  that  ever  lived.  Charles  Manning, 
you  and  I  left  the  dead  body  of  Henry  Winters  on 
that  distant  shore.  When  I  sailed  on  the  Sober 
Fritz  you  sailed  with  me.  Together  we  left  the  dead 
with  his  God.  Were  you  not  completely  lost  to 
every  feeling  that  makes  a  friend  respect  the  mem- 
ory of  his  dead  comrade  and  messmate,  you  would 
sooner  call  upon  these  walls  to  fall  and  crush  your 
life  out  of  you,  than  to  claim  for  some  vile  purpose 
to  be  that  saint  in  heaven." 

"  Captain  Bodfish,  as  God  is  my  judge,  and  as  I 

242 


CHAELES   MANNING    OK   HENRY   WINTERS?       ^43 

expect  to  answer  some  day  to  Him  for  every  act  of 
my  life,  I  swear  to  you,  and  if  I  swear  falsely,  I  call 
upon  that  God  to  strike  me  dead  here  at  your  feet, 
that  I  am  Henry  Winters." 

"  Charles  Manning,  I — " 

"  Don't,  I  beg  of  you,  call  me  by  that  name  again. 
Turn  away  if  you  will,  leave  me  here  to  the  fate  that 
is  so  mysteriously  enveloping  me,  but  don't  tell  me  I 
am  an  impostor.  I  say  to  you,  Captain  Bod  fish,  I 
am  the  man  that  was  left  for  dead  in  that  cabin  by 
the  sea.  I  was  poisoned,  but  by  whom  I  do  not  know. 
I  was  restored  to  life  by  the  physician's  daughter, 
who  gave  me  the  antidote,  and  would  you  but  listen 
I  would  tell  you  all  about  my  travels  before  the 
Sober  Fritz  came  the  following  year  and  rescued  you 
and  Charles  Manning." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  hear  you.  Don't  I  know  that 
you  and  Henry  Winters  were  inseparable,  and  don't 
I  know  that  you  can  tell  his  story  as  well  as  he  could 
tell  it  himself  were  he  to  be  raised  from  the  dead  ? 
You  have  the  same  smooth  tongue  that  captivated 
the  crew  on  the  Sober  Fritz,  but  you  must  not 
expect  to  again  charm  me  with  your  cunning  palaver. 
IS'MU-  that  you  talk  of  poisoning,  let  me  tell  you  that 
on  several  occasions  I  have  caught  myself  suspecting 
you  of  poisoning  young  Winters,  and  I  am  now  more 
than  half  inclined  to  the  opinion  that  the  diamonds 
and  other  jewels  he  had  laid  away  so  carefully  to 
bring  home  to  his  mother  and  his  affianced,  were 
stolen  from  him  by  you,  and  you  have  just  now 
summoned  up  courage  enough  to  offer  them  for  sale." 
"  Captain  Bodfish,  a  thought  strikes  me.  .Now  do 


244  THE  MOKTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

listen  for  one  moment  to  what  I  have  to  say.  You 
think  Henry  Winter's  jewels  were  stolen  from  him 
by  Charles  Manning.  In  that  suspicion  you  do 
Charles  a  great  wrong.  I  know  nothing  about  the 
evidence  you  may  have  to  base  the  suspicion  that  he 
poisoned  Henry  Winters,  but — " 

"No  more,  I  will  not  listen  longer  to  such  trash," 
said  Captain  Bodfish. 

"Captain  Bodfish,  one  question  before  you  go. 
Do  you  remember  one  day  examining  those  rough 
diamonds  and  admiring  two  of  them  that  were  so 
much  alike  no  one  could  tell  the  difference  ?  "  asked 
Henry  Winters. 

"I  do," the  Captain  answered. 

"  May  Task  another  question  ?"  asked  Henry  Win- 
tors,  and  the  young  man  looked  piteouslyand  implor- 
ingly into  the  Captain's  face. 

"  Yes." 

"  Did  Henry  Winters  insist  on  your  accepting  one 
of  those  stones  as  a  gift  from  him  ?  " 

"  He  did,"  answered  Captain  Bodfish. 

"  Can  I  ask  still  another  question?  "  inquired  Win- 
ters. 

"Yes,  yes;  go  on;  what  more?" 

"After  Henry  insisted  for  some  time  that  you 
should  accept  one  of  the  stones,  and  you  persisted  in 
refusing  it,  did  you  finally  consent  to  take  it?" 

"  I  did,  and  have  it  now  in  its  rough  state,"  said 
Captain  Bodfish,  "in  my  necktie,  and  I  presume 
you  have  its  mate,  which  would  only  be  additional 
evidence  that  you  stole  Henry  Winters'  diamonds, 
and  as  far  as  the  conversation  had  at  that  time  is 


CHARLES   MANNING   OR   HEXRY  WINTERS  ?       245 

concerned,  what  could  be  more  natural  than  for 
Henry  Winters  to  tell  it  all  to  you?" 

Winters  was  now  evidently  nonplussed.  Every 
point  he  could  make  was  being  turned  against  him, 
and  he  was  almost  in  despair.  Kallying  once  again 
to  the  encounter  with  his  old  messmate  and  friend, 
he  found  courage  to  ask: 

"Do  you  remember  the  remark  you  made  when 
you  took  the  gift  ?  " 

11 1  do;  it  is  as  fresh  in  my  mind  as  though  the 
occurrence  were  but  yesterday,  and  I  am  act  ashamed 
to  repeat  it  to  you.  Charles  Manning,  I  said — " 

"Stop,  Captain  Bodfish,"  cried  Winters,  "stop,  I 
did  not  ask  you  what  you  said." 

"  Go  on,  young  man.  I  rather  like  your  style  of 
questioning.  Again  I  say,  I  will  listen,"  responded 
Captain  Bodfish. 

"Was  there  any  other  person  present  who  heard 
what  you  said? "asked  Winters. 

"  No,  we  were  in  the  wilderness,  several  miles 
from  the  village,  and  we  were  alone  all  that  day." 

"  Could  Charles  Manning  have  heard  that  re- 
mark?" 

Looking  confused  and  seemingly  more  interested 
in  the  conversation  than  Henry  himself,  he  said, 
"  It  was  impossible." 

Young  Winters  rose  from  his  chair,  stepped  close 
to  the  captain,  and,  looking  him  straight  in  the  eye, 
exclaimed: 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  that  remark  was.  You  said, 
'  Look  out  for  yourself,  Henry,  or  that  Indian  maiden 
will  steal  your  heart,  and  Charles  Manning  will  cut 
your  throat  and  steal  your  diamonds/ }i 


246  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

Captain  Bodfish  stood  there  immovable  as  a  statue. 
His  face  grew  pale,  then  the  rush  of  blood  made  his 
cheeks  flush  and  crimson.  He  was  in  deep  thought, 
revolving  in  his  mind  whether  there  was  any  possible 
way  that  Charles  Manning  could  have  known  what 
was  said  at  that  time  by  him  to  Henry  Winters.  The 
Captain  had  himself  admitted  it  was  impossible. 
Though  a  lingering  doubt  perplexed  him  and  blinded 
him  for  a  moment,  as  to  the  course  he  ought  to  pur- 
sue, he  reached  for  Henry's  hand,  shook  it  cordially, 
and,  almost  sobbing,  remarked: 

"Young  man,  whether  you  are  Henry  Winters  or 
Charles  Manning,  by -the  love  I  bear  Henry  Winters, 
be  he  dead,  or  be  you  him,  I  will  befriend  you  now 
to  the  extent  of  my  power." 

The  Captain  learned  that  the  grand  jury  was  in 
session,  and  that  Henry's  case  had  already  been  con- 
sidered in  that  peculiar  American  star  chamber, 
where  men  are  convicted  first  and  tried  afterward, 
and  a  true  bill  found  against  Henry  for  stealing,  in 
the  night  time,  property  valued  at  seven  thousand 
dollars. 

A  lawyer  was  employed  to  defend  Winters.  At 
the  trial,  which  came  off  immediately,  the  same  pos- 
itive evidence  was  introduced  as  was  given  before  the 
magistrate,  and  the  jury  retired,  and  in  less  than  ten 
minutes  brought  in  a  verdict  of  guilty,  and  the  judge 
sentenced  the  prisoner  to  a  term  of  five  years  in  the 
penitentiary  at  Sing  Sing.  Henry  had  caused  dis- 
patches to  be  sent  to  his  mother  and  two  or  three 
prominent  neighbors  at  Bradford  Junction,  asking 
them  to  come  immediately  to  his  assistance,  and  as  no 


CHARLES    MANNING   OR   HENRY   WINTERS  ?       247 

answers  were  received,  both  lawyer  and  Captain  had 
their  faith  in  the  young  man's  innocence  somewhat 
weakened.  The  lawyer,  however,  proposed  to  unearth 
what  he  was  beginning  to  believe  was  a  conspiracy,  let 
the  cost  be  what  it  might. 

Notwithstanding  all  the  circumstances  of  guilt, 
Captain  Bod  fish  was  sorely  perplexed  and  troubled. 
If  this  young  man  is  really  Henry  Winters  he  is  in- 
nocent. There  could  be  no  question  in  the  Captain's 
mind  upon  the  soundness  of  this  conclusion.  If  he 
were  Charles  Manning,  then,  no  doubt,  he  was  justly 
convicted.  The  Captain,  as  he  reflected  upon  the 
circumstances  referred  to  by  his  questioner,  became 
more  and  more  convinced  that  he  was  no  imposter, 
but  was  Henry  Winters. 

Running  over  in  his  mind  how  best  to  unravel  this 
mystery,  the  Captain  was  interrupted  by  a  boisterous 
tap  on  his  office  door.  He  invited  the  visitor  to 
walk  in.  It  proved  to  be  a  policeman  who  solicited 
an  interview  upon  the  subject  that  was  uppermost  in 
the  Captain's  thoughts.  Bidding  him  proceed,  the 
officer  without  ceremony  began  at  once  to  impart  the 
following  important  information  to  his  host :  "  You 
appeared  in  court  to-day  us  the  friend  of  a  prisoner 
charged  with  stealing  diamonds  and  other  precious 
stones.  I  was  present  at  the  trial  and  heard  all  the 
evidence.  The  faces  of  the  two  witnesses  who  testified 
against  the  young  man  seemed  familiar  to  me.  When 
they  retired  from  the  court-room  I  followed  them. 
One  bought  a  ticket  for  a  western  town.  I  did  not 
dare  to  detain  him  because  in  his  disguise  I  was 
afraid  he  was  not  my  man.  His  pal,  who  represented 


248  THE   MOKTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

himself  to  be  the  Steamer's  detective,  I  arrested  as 
soon  as  the  train  started,  and,  upon  removing  his  dis- 
guise, I  recognized  him  as  a  successful  confidence 
man,  whom  I  had  seen  on  the  streets  nearly  every 
day  for  months,  and  hence  he  could  not  have  been  on 
the  steamer  City  of  Rome  on  its  last  trip  to  New  York, 
as  that  arrived  on  Monday  of  this  week.  I  searched 
him,  and  found  upon  his  person  what  I  should  think 
was  the  greater  part  of  the  property  which  your 
friend  was  charged  with  stealing.  When  I  made  my 
report  to  the  captain  at  the  police  station,  I  learned 
that  Lawyer  Fielding  had  been  informed  by  your 
friend  that  there  were  three  passengers  on  board  the 
steamer,  who  had  traveled  with  him  from  Glasgow 
to  Liverpool,  that  two  of  them  resided  in  this  city, 
that  they  had  been  found  and  had  visited  the  prisoner 
in  his  cell;  had  recognized  him  as  their  traveling 
companion,  and  would  testify  that  while  in  Glasgow 
the  prisoner  had  exhibited  to  them  the  identical 
diamonds  he  was  charged  with  stealing,  and  had  asked 
their  advice  as  to  whether  London  or  New  York 
would  be  the  best  place  to  dispose  of  them. 

The  Captain  listened  with  the  most  eager  atten- 
tion. He  was  now  aroused  and  in  earnest.  There 
was  no  longer  any  doubt  of  Henry  Winter's  iden- 
tity. Calling  a  cab,  the  Captain  was  driven  to  the 
lawyer's  office.  A  hasty  conference  was  held.  It 
was  resolved  to  make  application  to  the  governor  for 
a  pardon  for  young  Winters,  and  to  this  end  the  con- 
fidence man  who  had  signified  his  willingness  to 
make  a  clean  breast  of  the  whole  transaction  as  far 
as  he  knew  the  facts,  and  the  two  fellow-travelers, 


CHARLES  MANNING   OR   HENRY    WINTERS?       249 

both  of  whom  were  reputable  citizens  residing  in  the 
city,  were  taken  before  the  executive  who  heard  the 
proof  of  the  young  man's  innocence,  and  after  care- 
fully examining  the  record  of  the  case,  and  sending 
for  the  district  attorney,  who  had  appeared  in  the 
trial  for  the  State,  promised  to  decide  on  the  applica- 
tion on  the  morrow.  The  evidence  was  so  clear  that 
Henry  had  been  made  the  victim  of  a  conspiracy  to 
rob  him,  that  the  governor  did  not  hesitate  to  grant 
the  pardon. 

Captain  Bodfish,  overcome  with  joy,  rushed  to  the 
jail  and  thrusting  the  pardon  in  Henry's  face,  threw 
his  arms  round  his  neck,  and  wept  like  a  child. 

The  jewels  found  on  the  confidence  man  were 
ordered  restored  to  Henry.  These,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  or  three  of  the  choicest  ones,  he  disposed 
of  for  cash,  and  first  sending  two  messages,  one  to 
his  mother  and  another  to  Mary,  announcing  his 
intention  to  leave  New  York  that  night  for  Bradford 
Junction,  he  purchased  a  ticket,  bade  the  Captain  a 
most  affectionate  good-bye,  and  was  once  again  home- 
ward bound. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

SHALL  THE  IMPOSTOR  SUCCEED? 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day  after  leaving 
New  York,  Henry  reached  the  junction  where  he  was 
to  change  cars  for  Bradford.  Much  to  his  disappoint- 
ment, he  found  the  train  he  should  take  was  four 
hours  late,  so  he  seated  himself  in  the  depot  to  pass 
away  the  time  as  best  he  might.  The  newsboys  were 
crying  the  morning  papers,  published  in  a  neighbor- 
ing city,  and  he  bought  one.  Running  over  its  col- 
umns to  find  something  of  interest,  his  eye  was 
attracted  to  the  headlines,  "Romantic  marriage." 
A  glance  at  the  text  of  the  article  and  instantly 
his  mind  grasped  the  extraordinary  intelligence 
that  at  six  o'clock,  near  the  village  of  Bradford 
Junction,  Henry  Winters  would  wed  Mary  Holbrook! 
For  a  moment  the  buildings,  the  cars,  the  people 
passed  before  his  vision  in  a  circle  and  like  light- 
ning. He  may  have  swooned.  It  was  but  for  a 
moment.  The  bystanders  opened  the  windows,  un- 
loosed his  garments,  and  he  immediately  recovered 
his  consciousness.  Upon  reviving,  it  took  him  but  a 
second  to  comprehend  the  entire  situation.  It  passed 
before  him  like  a  swiftly  moving  panorama,  and  he 
recognized  all  the  characters.  In  the  foreground 
was  Charles  Manning,  a  hideous  impostor,  who  had 
made  use  of  the  story  of  Henry's  life  and  Henry's 
love,  and  with  Mary's  picture  and  Mary's  letters, 

250 


SHALL  THE    IMPOSTOR  SUCCEED  ?  251 

which  lie  had  stolen,  encouraged  by  the  terrible  sim- 
ilarity of  likeness  of  the  two  men,  had  played  a 
game  so  damnable  as  to  make  angels  weep,  and 
had  won.  Great  God!  had  won!  Won  his  Mary! 
He  cared  not  to  look  again  to  see  the  other  parties 
to  this  terrible  picture.  He  knew  the  next  to.appear 
would  be  Mary  Holbrook.  And  he  knew  she  was 
innocent.  In  his  whole  soul  there  was  not  a  breath 
of  censure  against  that  pure  creature.  Though  she 
might  keep  step  in  the  shadow  of  a  demon,  she  was 
spotless.  But  ring  down  the  curtain.  Moments 
may  be  ages  if  not  now  turned  to  proper  account. 
His  first  impulse  was  to  telegraph — telegraph  to  his 
mother,  to  Mary,  to  his  neighbors,  to  anybody,  every- 
body he  ever  knew,  and  tell  them  all  to  stop  the  mar- 
riage ceremony.  But  he  remembered  that  not  a  dis- 
patch or  letter  lie  had  sent  to  his  home  had  been 
answered.  The  villain  was  intercepting  letters  and 
messages,  and  it  were  folly  to  expect  to  accomplish 
anything  by  the  telegraph.  He  asked  for  assistance. 
Half  a  dozen  bystanders  responded.  They  see  he  is 
in  dr.  p  rouble.  "One  of  you  go  for  the  superintend- 
ent of  the  west  division  of  this  road  and  bring  him 
here — go  quick,  quick,  quick.  I  have  not  strength 
this  moment  to  walk.  I  will  be  strong  soon."  In  a 
few  moments  Colonel  Mason,  the  superintendent, 
came  in.  Henry  feels  that  everything  now  depends 
upon  his  ability  to  compose  himself  and  explain  the 
situation.  Railroads  don't  listen  to  mad  men.  With 
the  newspaper  in  his  hand,  he  cooly  commences  to 
read  the  article  to  the  astonished  superintendent.  It 
is  full  of  the  strangest  romance,  for  it  relates  in 


252  THE   MORTGAGE 

detail  the  kidnapping,  the  voyage  to  India,  the  ship- 
wreck, the  return,  the  marriage  to  take  place  on  the 
lawn  at  the  bride's  home,  that  invitations  had  been 
given  out  to  several  hundred  peoplp  and  that  the 
afternoon — that  afternoon — would  be  a  gay  holiday 
for  the  farmers  for  miles  around.  The  reading  fin- 
ished, the  superintendent  looked  at  Henry  in  bewil- 
dered amazement  and  awaited  an  explanation.  "Mr. 
Superintendent,  may  God  strike  me  dead  if  I  don't 
tell  the  truth.  I  am  Henry  Winters,  and  a  villain 
that  poisoned  me,  arid  thought  he  had  murdered  me, 
is  the  man  that  is  to  marry  my  Mary  at  six  o'clock! 
Merciful  heavens!  it  is  now  three  o'clock,  and  Henry 
Winters  is  to  marry  Mary  Holbrook  at  six  o'clock,  and 
Henry  Winters  himself  is  115  miles  away!  Mr. 
Mason,  I  must  have  a  locomotive  to  take  me  to 
Bradford  Junction  before  six  o'clock,  and  here  is  the 
money  to  pay  for  it.  Take  from  that  roll  of  bills 
whatever  amount  you  think  right."  The  spectators 
shouted  approval  of  this  demand.  The  excitement 
was  at  a  fever  pitch.  Not  the  least  of  the  excited 
ones  was  Colonel  Mason  himself.  He  quickly  deter- 
mined that  he  would  comply  with  the  young  man's 
request  for  a  special,  and,  giving  an  order  to  one 
of  his  assistants,  he~  declared*  he  would  put  Henry 
Winters  into  Bradford  station  before  six  o'clock, 
come  what  might,  and  let  the  consequences  be  what 
they  would.  All  his  orders  were  quickly  responded 
to.  He  would  have  the  locomotive  ready  first  and 
immediately,  and  trust  to  luck  to  get  his  orders  from 
headquarters  before  starting.  The  track  was  ordered 
cleared  of  all  trains;  the  locomotive  came  puffing  up 


SHALL  THE  IMPOSTOR  SUCCEED  ?  253 

in  excellent  trim,  with  plenty  of  water,  plenty  of 
fuel  and  ready  for  the  race.  Henry  climbed  into  the 
cab  and  sat  down  on  the  engineer's  seat,  and  the 
superintendent,  who  proposed  to  make  one  of  the 
party,  took  a  seat  in  front  of  the  fireman.  Just  then 
the  train-dispatcher  came  forward  with  the  order 
from  the  general  office,  and  the  superintendent  giving 
the  signal,  at  three-thirty,  the  locomotive  responded 
to  the  open  throttle,  and  fairly  trembled  and  shook 
its  great,  big,  ironsides  as  it  gave  a  lunge  ahead,  and, 
amid  the  deafening  cheers  of  the  crowd,  it  got  right 
down  to  work  that  made  the  engineer  proud  of  his 
noble  steed. 

The  mile  posts  were  passed  as  though  they  were 
telegraph  poles.  Screeching  like  mad  through  the 
villages,  fairly  leaping  over  switches,  shaking,  roar- 
ing, puffing,  whirling  over  bridges,  through  fields 
and  forests,  faster  and  faster,  a  steady,  sturdy  hand 
at  the  lever,  stout  and  sinewy  arms  at  the  furnace, 
watchful  eyes  gazing  eagerly  beyond  the  smoke- 
stack and  scanning  the  track  to  see  if  all  were  clear; 
thex  faithful,  obedient  and  trusty  locomotive  bent 
down  to  its  duty  and  performed  it  as  though  it  were 
a  living,  breathing  being  and  comprehended  fully 
the  responsibility  entrusted  to  it. 

J  f  cnry  spoke  not  a  word.  His  whole  being  kept  pace 
with  the  engine  in  its  nervous  tremor  and  apparent 
agitation.  In  fact,  no  one  uttered  a  syllable  except 
the  superintendent,  who,  with  his  watch  in  his  hand, 
at  intervals  called  out  the  time,  the  speed  and  the  dis- 
tance run.  Fifteen  miles,  twenty  minutes  !  Twen- 
ty-live miles,  thirty  minutes  !  Forty-five  miles, 


254  THE   MOKTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

forty-eight  minutes  !  Sixty  miles,  sixty-one  minutes! 
The  superintendent  was  now  as  excited  as  the  engine 
itself.  Henry  sat  there  as  though  carved  out  of 
stone.  The  engineer  and  fireman  were  as  happy  as 
though  they  owned  the  road.  Fifty-five  miles  more 
and  eighty-nine  minutes  to  make  it  in.  The  track 
passed  the  Holbrook  farm  within  sixty  rods  of  the 
house.  So  there  would  be  no  delay  in  getting  from 
the  station  to  the  lawn,  where  the  marriage  ceremony 
was  to  take  place. 

Seventy  miles  in  seventy-two  minutes  !  Losing  a 
little, 'Mr.  Fireman,  can't  you  throw  in  an  extra  lump 
or  two  of  those  choice  pieces  there  at  your  feet? 
Saving  them  for  the  last  ?  Save  nothing.  Crowd  in 
all  the  fuel  she  will  take.  Open  the  throttle  a  little 
wider,  if  possible,  Mr.  Engineer.  Can't  do  it  ?  No 
matter,  she  is  behaving  beautifully.  What  a  splen- 
did creature  !  Now  she  just  flies.  The  last  five 
miles  was  made  in  four  minutes.  Ninety  miles  in 
a  few  seconds  less  than  ninety  minutes.  Twenty-five 
miles  more  and  a  full  hour  to  do  it  in.  That  is  a 
splendid  margin  to  go  on.  Will  make  it  in  time  with 
half  an  hour  to  spare.  Don't  move  a  finger  there 
to  reduce  her  speed,  Mr.  Engineer.  Let  her  do  all  she 
can.  Take  no  risks.  Better  have  the  time  to  spare 
at  the  end  of  the  run  than  on  the  road.  A  mile  a 
minute  is  now  her  pace,  and  she  is  buckling  down  to 
that  speed  with  ease.  Heavens,  don't  she  round  that 
curve  handsomely  ! 

The  engineer  sees  something  ahead  that  alarms 
him.  Is  it  a  puff  of  smoke  ?  He  stretches  his  neck 
out  of  the  cab  window  as  far  as  possible,  strains  his 


255 

eyes,  hastily  draws  back,  clutches  the  lever  with  both 
hands,  ready  to  close  the  throttle  on  a  moment's 
warning.  Another  second  and  the  steam  is  shut  off, 
the  engine  reversed,  the  brakes  applied,  the  noble 
steed  lothfully  lessens  its  speed,  and,  turning  an 
abrupt  curve,  comes  to  a  dead  stop  within  three  or 
four  feet  of  a  bridge  whose  timbers  are  smoking  from 
an  explosion  of  gunpowder,  which  some  miscreant 
had  applied,  no  doubt,  in  order  to  prevent  the  engine 
from  reaching  Bradford  Junction. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

CLEAR   THE   TRACK   TO    BRADFORD   JUNCTION  ! 

No  sooner  had  Groundwig  departed  on  his  mission 
of  crime  than  Manning  set  himself  to  prosecuting 
plans  for  his  marriage  and  bridal  tour  with  renewed 
activity.  His  first  thought  was  to  persuade  Mary  to 
name  an  earlier  day  for  the  nuptials,  and  to  this  end 
to  assign  as  a  reason  a  dispatch  from  some  foreign 
mercantile  house,  offering  him  a  splendid  position 
with  a. large  salary,  provided  he  could  report  for  duty 
at  a  certain  day,  naming  a  time  that  would  require 
his  departure  within  three  or  four  days..  He  con- 
cluded he  could  not  give  Mary  such  a  reason  for  con- 
senting to  change  the  day  fixed  for  the  wedding 
without  danger  of  exciting  her  suspicions  that  all  was 
not  right,  so  he  would  trust  Groundwig. 

Mary  and  several  of  her  intimate  friends  suggested 
that  the  wedding  should  be  at  6  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon, that  it  should  be  made  a  gala  day  as  far  as 
possible,  and  that  the  invitations  should  be  general 
and  the  ceremony  public.  It  was  arranged  that 
the  beautiful  lawn  in  front  of  the  house  should  be 
the  place,  and  the  Episcopal  clergyman,  in  charge  of 
the  church  at  the  county  seat,  should  be  invited  to 
solemnize  the  marriage. 

Mary  and  her  assistants  at  once  began  making 
preparations  for  the  great  event.  The  wedding 
trousseau  was  selected,  and  nimble  fingers  fashioned 

255 


CLEAR  THE  TRACK!  257 

and  fitted  the  bride's  gown.  It  was  white  silk,  with- 
out trimmings  or  decorations  or  ornaments  of  any 
kind.  Arrayed  in  white,  she  was  her  prettiest,  and 
in  white  she  looked  the  more  the  bride. 

The  day  arrived.  It  was  one  of  the  loveliest  days 
in  June.  In  and  around  the  Holbrook  homestead, 
from  early  morn,  all  was  confusion,  and  everybody 
about  the  premises  was  on  the  stir,  ciowding  and 
pushing  and  trying  to  help  do  something.  Mary  had 
retired  to  her  chamber,  and,  assisted  by  her  dressing 
maid,  proceeded  to  arrange  her  toilet.  This  pleasing 
and  exciting  task  completed,  and  the  compliments  of 
the  bride's  maids  lavishly  bestowed  upon  her,she  asked 
to  be  left  alone  until  time  to  proceed  to  the  altar. 

During  the  days  the  prospective  bride  and  her 
friends  had  been  making  these  preparations,  Manning 
had  by  no  means  been  idle.  With  him  they  were 
days  of  excitement,  fear,  doubt  and  rejoicing,  and 
almost  the  last  moments  were  moments  of  inexpress- 
ible anxiety,  overwhelming  him  with  apprehensions 
of  the  greatest  possible  evil. 

He  first  learned  of  Henry's  arrival  in  New  York  by 
the  receipt,  as  operator,  of  the  two  messages  Henry 
had  sent  his  mother  and  Mary.  These  dispatches 
were  quickly  destroyed.  Then  Groundwig  had  con- 
veyed to  him  the  glad  tidings  of  Henry's  conviction 
of  grand  larceny  and  the  five  years'  sentence  to  hard 
labor  in  the  penitentiary.  Such  glorious  news  almost 
made  his  heart  burst  with  joy.  Five  years  assured 
him  in  which  to  bask  in  Mary  Holbrook's  love  with- 
out fear  or  danger  of  his  great  crime  being  discov- 
ered. Groundwig  would  no  doubt  hasten  back  to 

17 


258  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

receive  in  person  the  promised  reward.  The  money 
would  be  ready  for  him,  and  never  would  money  be 
more  cheerfully  paid  to  him  who  earned  it. 

Things  were  surely  running  smoothly  now,  thought 
Charles  Manning.  Had  he  the  arranging  of  them, 
they  could  not  have  been  more  to  his  liking.  The 
morning  came.  With  the  going  down  of  the  sun  all 
his  plans  would  be  consummated.  His  successor  had 
been  named  to  take  charge  of  the  telegraph  office, 
and  his  employers  were  complimenting  Manning  on  so 
closely  attending  to  business  as  to  insist  on  remaining 
at  his  post  until  the  afternoon  of  his  wedding. 
Charles  Manning  knew  too  well  the  importance  of 
controlling  the  wires  until  the  last  moment.  He  did 
not  intend  to  let  go  any  of  his  resources  until  they 
were  all  exhausted  or  until  there  could  be  no  occasion 
for  using  them. 

Eunning  over  in  his  mind,  in  a  half-dreaming  man- 
ner, the  thrilling  events  of  the  past  year,  he  was 
aroused  by  the  click,  click,  click,  of  the  instrument 
before  him.  The  name  of  Silas  Groundwig  comes 
clicking  over  the  wires.  The  operator  starts  as  though 
shot.  What  person  in  New  York  is  telegraphing 
Groundwig?  Even  the  message  itself  does  not  answer 
the  question.  Nor  does  Manning  care  who  the 
sender  is.  The  dispatch  itself  is  of  the  most  startling 
character.  It  comes  like  the  lightning  from  a  cloud- 
less sky.  It  may  be  the  climax  of  the  whole  revolting 
scheme.  Not  a  word  of  it  is  put  on  paper.  But 
every  syllable  is  burned  into  Manning's  very  soul: 

Governor  pardoned  that  fellow  on  the  tenth,  and  he  went 

West  o»  the  express  the  same  night. 

YANKEE  TIM. 


CLEAR  THE   TRACK  ! 

Manning's  brain  worked  fast  and  keen.  A  hasty 
glance  at  the  time  table,  a  quick  scanning  of  the 
column  of  figures,  and  it  was  clear  to  see  that  unless 
something  happened  or  was  made  to  happen,  and  that, 
too,  at  once,  Winters  would  reach  Bradford  Junction 
a  full  hour  before  the  time  fixed  for  the  marriage 
ceremony  to  take  place. 

Xow,  then,  where  was  Groundwig?  His  services  were 
needed  now,  as  they  were  never  needed  before.  The 
morning  express  was  due  in  a  few  minutes.  Ground- 
must  be  on  that.  In  another  minute  the  train 
pulled  in  and  pulled  out,  and  Groundwig  was  the  only 
passenger  that  alighted.  A  whispered  conference 
held  between  the  two,  and  while  talking,  Man- 
ning's quick  ear  caught  enough  of  a  dispatch  that 
was  going  over  the  wires  to  make  him  yell  with  de- 
light. "  Groundwig!"  exultingly  exclaimed  Manning, 
"God  in  heaven  approves  my  acts.  The  next  west- 
bound train  has  met  with  an  accident,  and  will  be  at 
least  four  hours  late.  That  train  is  the  one  Winters 
must  connect  with  at  White  Creek  Junction.  I  shall 
be  married  and  on  the  south-bound  train,  and  fifty 
miles  away  before  he  can  reach  this  station.  Who 
says  now  that  fortune  don't  favor  the  brave,  no  mat- 
ter what  they  do,  if  their  conscience  approves  their 
act- 

"Grouudwig,  I  have  won  on  every  side.  Mary  Hoi- 
brook  once  my  wife  I  will  be  to  her  such  a  devoted, 
loving,  faithful  husband  she  shall  never  have  cause 
to  think  she  has  been  deceived.  I  will  be  her 
slave.  Yea,  I  will  die  for  her.  If  necessary,  I  will  die 
to  keep  her  from  marrying  another.  But  enough  of 


260  THE  MOETQAGE  FORECLOSED. 

this.  Meet  me  here  in  an  hour  and  I  will  have  the 
money  for  you  that  I  promised.  There  comes  the  pur- 
chaser of  my  farm  for  the  deed;  he  brings  the  pur- 
chase price  with  him.  Go  now,  and  come  at  the 
hour  named." 

The  trade  was  completed,  the  money  paid,  and 
Manning,  jumping  into  his  buggy,  drove  to  the  Hoi- 
brook  place,  where  he  met  Mary  who  appeared  some- 
what depressed,  but  in  the  excitement  he  paid  lit- 
tle attention  to  it,  and  telling  her  the  sale  of  his  farm 
had  been  consummated,  that  all  the  preparations 
were  made  for  the  bridal  tour,  that  the  south-bound 
train  was  reported  on  time,  he  hurried  back  to  meet 
his  engagement  with  Ground  wig. 

The  new  operator  was  now  in  charge  of  the  station. 
Groundwig,  disguised  and  hideous  was  there  impa- 
tient and  nervous.  Manning  came  in  hurried  and 
excited.  He  handed  his  faithful  accomplice  a  roll 
of  bank  bills  in  full  satisfaction  of  all  services  ren- 
dered; and  as  he  turned  to  leave,  the  operator  re- 
marked as  though  telling  an  item  of  ordinary  news 
that  the  road  was  just  ordered  clear  of  all  trains  for 
a  special. 

Manning,  excitedly  and  confusedly. — "How  far  is 
the  line  to  be  cleared." 

Operator. — "To  this  station/' 
Manning. — "A  freight  or  passenger?" 
Operator. — "Neither.     A  locomotive  and  tender." 
Manning. — "When  does  it  start?" 
Operator. — "This  moment — three-thirty." 
Not  another  word  was  said.     Groundwig  had  been 
an  attentive  listener  to  every  word.     He  understood 


CLEAR  THE   TRACK!  261 

well  what  it  all  meant.  More  villainy  for  him. 
More  labor  of  love  to  appease  his  own  hate.  Both 
men  stepped  out  upon  the  platform.  "Clear  the 
track  to  Bradford  Junction"  rung  in  Manning's  ears 
like  a  funeral  dirge  at  a  wedding.  The  most  omi- 
nous words  of  all  that  had  passed  over  the  wires  since 
this  bold  conspiracy  was  set  on  foot.  A  special  for 
Henry  Winters,  and  at  that  moment  it  must  be 
whirling  westward  at  its  greatest  possible  speed.  At 
this  last  hour  should  he,  Charles  Manning,  be  foiled 
and  cheated  of  the  hand  of  her  he  loved  better  than 
life?  Never!  There  is  still  one  more  chance.  Now 
then,  for  the  most  desperate  means  to  meet  the  most 
desperate  case. 

"Groundwig,  for  God's  sake  get  your  brains  to 
working  quick — quicker  than  ever  before!  That  is 
Henry  Winters'  special.  Yes,  I  know  you  know  it, 
and  I  know  you  know  already  what  I  am  going  to 
propose.  That  special  will  make  a  mile  a  minute. 
In  the  store-room  you  will  find  a  saw,  an  auger  and  a 
hatchet.  Put  them  in  one  of  those  bags.  I  will 
hand  you  a  package  of  giant  powder.  Number  4 
has  orders  to  run  to  Bingham,  twelve  miles,  and 
side-truck  for  special — that's  her  whistle,  quick  now, 
not  a  second  to  spare  ;  go  to  Hilton  Run,  a  mile  this 
side  of  Bingham — you  know  the  bridge  at  th6  end  of 
that  sharp  curve,  the  freight  will  be  slowing  up  there, 
so  you  will  have  no  trouble  in  getting  off,  bore  a  hole 
— jump  aboard — blow  the  bridge  to" —  and  the  train 
and  Groundwig  were  on  their  way  to  Bingham. 

ofroundwig  was  faithful  to  the  last.  He  did  his 
work  well.  He  had  a  full  hour  in  which  to  do  his 


262  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

job.  He  first  cttt  the  wires  in  two  different  places. 
The  bridge  was  on  the  bottom,  quite  a  high  elevation 
of  land  on  one  side,  and  thick  woods  on  the  other,  so 
there  was  no  danger  of  being  discovered  in  his 
nefarious  work.  He  would  not  be  interrupted  by 
trains,  for  none  could  move  in  either  direction  until 
the  special  had  passed.  When  all  was  ready  he  set 
fire  to  the  fuse,  and  almost  before  the  smoke  had 
cleared  away  the  locomotive  rounded  the  curve, 
slowed  up,  and  stopped  within  a  few  feet  of  the 
wrecked  bridge.  The  miscreant  who  had  done  the 
deed  was  seen  to  plunge  into  the  forest  and  disappear. 
The  engine  was  run  back  to  the  station,  the  alarm 
given,  and,  under  the  lead  of  the  superintendent,  a 
posse  well  armed,  and  several  men  mounted  on 
horseback,  started  in  pursuit  of  the  would-be  mur- 
derer. The  chase  was  a  short  one.  The  desperado 
was  soon  surrounded,  and,  as  he  drew  a  revolver  to 
intimidate  his  pursuers  and  resist  arrest,  half  a  dozen 
guns  were  leveled  at  his  head,  and  Silas  Groundwig, 
with  all  his  deep,  black  crimes  on  his  soul,  gave  up 
the  ghost. 

The  moment  Groundwig  had  boarded  the  train, 
Manning  felt  that  the  last  obstacle  in  the  pathway  to 
the  hand  of  his  betrothed  had  been  overcome.  He 
feft  he  could  trust  Groundwig  to  do  that  work,  and 
do  it  effectually.  From  his  standpoint  he  had  fought 
against  fearful  odds,  had  contended  against  a  bat- 
tallion  of  fates,  and  at  last  was  victorious. 

All  day  long  startling  incidents  had  followed  one 
after  the  other  with  painful  rapidity,  and  now  was 
gome  the  trying  event  of  all.  He  at  once  arranged 


CLEAR  THE  TRACK  !  263 

his  toilet  with  excellent  taste  and  the  utmost  care, 
and  when  completed  to  his  pleasure,  he  looked  every 
inch  the  happiest  of  bridegrooms.  His  wonderful 
will-power  had  enabled  him  to  conceal  all  outward 
evidence  of  his  excessive  nervous  excitement,  which 
would  have  exhausted  that  power,  and  prostrated  even 
a  stronger  man,  had  not  the  prize  been  the  hand  of 
a  Mary  Holbrook. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THE   RACE   AND    THE   RESCUE. 

Hardly  had  the  engine  commenced  to  slacken  its 
speed,  as  it  approached  the  smoking  bridge,  when 
Henry  leaped  to  the  ground,  and  in  a  moment  was 
examining  the  extent  of  the  damage.  He  saw  the 
stringers  were  so  weakened  that  it  would  be  impos- 
sible to  run  the  engine  over.  Quickly  comprehend- 
ing what  must  be  done,  Henry  started  on  a  rapid  run 
for  a  farm-house  on  a  hill,  about  one  hundred  rods 
distant.  It  took  him  but  a  few  moments  to  reach  it. 
In  the  yard  he  met  the  owner  of  the  farm.  The  two 
recognized  each  other  at  once.  tf  God  in  Israel ! 
Holy  Moses,  Henry  Winters,  what  on  earth  are  you 
doing  here?"  was  the  familiar  and  astonished  saluta- 
tion. "Are  you  mad?  Fleeing  from  a  bride  that 
only  wants  wings  to  be  an  angel.  Henry  Winters,  in 
the  name  of " 

"  Stop,  for  heaven's  sake,  stop  and  hear  me,"  said 
Henry.  "I  want  a  horse;  the  fleetest  one  in  your 
stable.  I  want  it  quick.  Not  a  second  to  lose.  The 
man  who  is  now  leading  Mary  Holbrook  to  the  altar 
is  a  villain  and  a  black-hearted  scoundrel.  He  is  not 
Henry  Winters.  I  must  get  there  before  the  cer- 
emony or " 

By  this  time  Farmer  Dickson  was  dancing  all  over 
the  yard.  He  was  too  excited  to  be  of  any  help. 
"  JJallo  there,  Hank,  go  and  bring  out  the  little  gray 

264 


THE  RACE  AND  THE   RESCUE.  265 

— Sam,  for  the  love  of  all  the  saints,  put  a  saddle — 
Jane,  Wife,  Molly,  come  out  here  and  help,  quick, 
quick;  'taint  Henry  Winters  that's  being — ;  good 
Lord,  I  forgot,  every  blessed  one  of  them  have  gone 
to  the  wedding.  Take  any  horse  you  want.  They 
are  all  good  ones;  hitch  up — "  But  Henry  was  not 
listening;  he  had  heard  very  little  the  old  gentle 
man  said;  he  had  rushed  into  the  stable,  put  a  saddle 
and  bridle  on  the  only  horse  there,  and  was  just 
mounting  when  Farmer  Dickson  yelled  out,  "Give 
him  the  reins;  let  him  have  his  own  way;  he  is  the 
fastest  horse  in  the  county.  Don't  be  afraid  to  let 
him  jump.  Nervy  Jim  never  yet  lost  a  race,  and  by 
the  eternal  heavens  he  won't  lose  this  one — stars  and 
snakes  see  him  go" — and  before  the  honest  old  farmer 
had  finished  his  exciting  instructions  to  the  rider, 
Nervy  Jim  was  a  mile  away,  leaping  astonishingly 
long  strides,  gathering  himself  at  each  jump  as 
though  his  limbs  were  steel  springs  and  plunging 
ahead  like  the  swift  wind,  the  noble  brute  seeming 
to  understand  that  it  was  no  common  race  he  was 
making  that  day. 

Nervy  Jim  doubled  himself  right  down  to  work. 
His  big  nostrils  were  extended  wide  and  broad,  his 
beautiful  neck  was  stretched  straight  out  from  his 
lithe  body,  as  if  he  expected  to  win  the  race  by  pass- 
ing under  the  wire  only  a  hand's  breadth  ahead  of 
time;  his  mane  and  tail  stood  out  full  length  with  the 
wind,  and  ere  half  the  distance  was  made,  the  white 
foam  completely  encircled  his  black  body.  It  was 
ten  miles  rifle  from  Farmer  Dickson's  house.  When 
the  bold  rider  mounted  his  steed  he  had  twenty-six 


266  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

minutes  to  make  the  distance.  The  best  he  expected 
to  do  was  to  reach  the  scene  of  the  festivities  before 
the  ceremony  was  finished.  Nervy  Jim  needed  no 
urging.  He  was  doing  his  best,  and  Henry  felt  that 
was  enough,  if  no  mishaps  overtook  him.  Farm 
houses  were  passed,  but  they  were  deserted.  One 
little  village  was  reached,  and  not  a  soul  was  seen. 
Everybody  was  at  the  wedding,  except  the  bride- 
groom. On  yonder  rise,  in  plain  sight,  was  the 
school-house,  and  a  little  farther  on  was  the  church 
building,  but  the  daring  rider  saw  neither;  his  eyea 
were  strained  to  catch  the  first  sight  of  scenes  beyond. 
The  horse  and  rider  may  safely  be  left  to  proceed 
alone  to  the  Holbrook  farm.  The  reader  can  reach 
there  first,  and  just  in  time  to  note  the  completion  of 
the  out  door  arrangements  for  the  wedding  festivi- 
ties. The  trees  which  line  the  lawn  are  festooned 
with  wreaths  of  prairie  flowers,  fruit  blossoms  and 
gaily-colored  ribbons.  Two  parallel  banks  of  flow- 
ers, a  few  feet  apart,  and  running  the  ontiro  length 
of  the  lawn,  mark  the  boundaries  of  the  green  aisle 
along  which  the  bride  must  pass  to  reach  the  altar. 
The  altar  is  a  raised  platform,  over  which,  and  high 
enough  for  a  person  to  stand  upright,  is  a  covering 
made  of  branches  of  trees  and  wTreaths  of  evergreens, 
and  the  sides  are  bedeeked  with  flowers,  surrounded 
with  a  dense  thicket  of  hot-house  plants.  On  either 
side  the  aisle  rough  seats  have  been  placed,  and  these 
are  now  occupied  by  the  guests,  who  have  come  from 
far  and  near  to  witness  the  marriage  ceremony  and 
participate  in  the  wedding  festival.  It  is  a  gay 
throng,^-  a  merry,  laughing,  chatting  gathering  of 
hard-working,  industrious  people. 


THE  RACE  AXD  THE  RESCUE.        267 

Inside  the  house  there  seems  but  little  stir  for  such 
an  hour.  There  is  a  quietness  unnatural,  more  like 
preparations  for  a  funeral,  than  a  marriage.  Better 
a  funeral  now  than  a  wedding.  The  bride's  maids  have 
been  ready  for  half  an  hour.  They,  too,  partake 
somewhat  of  the  sombre  surroundings.  They  know 
not  why.  There  is  a  mysterious  something  constantly 
suggesting  anything  but  gayety  and  cheerfulness. 
The  laughter  and  merriment  of  the  guests  without 
sound  harshly  upon  the  ears  of  the  maids,  and  yet 
when  could  laughter  and  merriment  be  more  appro- 
priate than  now  ?  The  more  intimate  friends,  who 
have  assisted  in  the  preparations  for  the  ceremony  and 
the  wedding  feast,  notice  the  gloom  which  possesses 
everything  and  everybody,  and  they  feei  it  should  be 
removed  if  possible.  But  who  can  do  it  ?  None  know 
how  it  came,  from  whence  it  came,  or  why  it  came. 
Will  the  light  come  at  last  ?  Will  the  dark  veil  be 
lifted,  that  the  sunshine  which  is  hidden  behind  it 
may  be  revealed  ?  Can  Mary  Ilolbrook  do  it  ?  No. 
She  is  shackled  with  ropes  of  steel  and  powerless  as 
an  infant.  She  is  disturbed  and  distressed,  but  she 
attributes  it  to  the  excitement  of  the  important  event 
she  is  soon  to  be  a  party  to.  On  bended  knees  she 
asks  for  divine  assistance.  If  the  dead  are  permitted 
to  look  down  upon  the  scenes  of  this  earth,  and  c;in 
influence  human  conduct,  she  asks  her  mother,  her 
father,  and  Henry's  mother,  to  guide  and  direct  her 
steps.  With  faith  in  the  Divinity,  trusting  the  spirits 
of  the  dead  will  point  out  the  right  way,  if  so  be  she 
is  tempted  to  take  the  wrong  one,  she  prepares  to 
complete  her  toilet  and  calls  her  maid  from  the 
adjoining  room. 


268         THE  MORTGAGE  FOKECLOSED. 

Do  not  make  such  haste,  sweet  Mary  -Holbroou. 
Those  orange  blossoms  well  become  that  fair  bro\(,. 
But  they  need  re-arranging.  They  conceal  tow 
much  of  that  beautiful  forehead.  Perhaps  it  were 
well  its  whiteness  should  be  shaded  by  the  tinge  of 
yellow  that  clings  so  closely  to  both  forehead  and 
blossoms.  That  is  a  pretty  veil — so  snowy  white,  so 
rich,  so  rare.  It  may  be  admired  even  though  the 
wedding  guests  are  waiting.  That  pretty  rosebud 
well  becomes  its  place  so  near  the  heart.  Now 
all  is  ready.  Keady?  Why  this  agitation?  Why 
that  flushed  cheek?  A  moment  since  it  was  pale  and 
white  as  the  spotless  gown  that  robes  the  fairest  of 
maidens.  It  must  be  the  fresh  air  that  the  gentle 
breeze  has  stirred  up  without.  Don't  seek  to  hide 
those  blushes,  Mary  Holbrook,  they  become  you  as 
virtue  becomes  an  angel.  God's  pure  air  is  a  great 
physician,  it  may  strengthen  you  now  when  you  need 
strength  the  most. 

As  Mary  steps  upon  the  greensward  and  comes  in 
plain  view  of  the  multitude  of  friends  who  have  come 
to  make  merry  at  her  wedding,  a  murmur  of  delight 
reaches  her  ears.  They  are  captivated  by  her  beauty — . 
always  beautiful,  but  now  more  beautiful  than  ever, 
Alone  she  walks  up  the  green  aisle,  the  handiwork 
of  nature  and  loving  hands.  Her  path  is  bedecked 
with  the  flowers  of  early  summer.  Following  a  short 
distance  come  the  maids,  who,  with  bowed  heads,  keep 
even  pace  with  the  prospective  bride.  Go  slow,  Mary 
Holbrook,  you  follow  no  one;  for  some  wise  purpose 
you  lead;  lead  ever  so  slowly,  and  even  then  you  may 
lead  too  fast.  There  are  times  when  it  were  better 


THE   RACK    AND   THE   RESCUE.  269 

for  a  bride  to  be  late  at  the  altar  than  precisely 
on  time.  There  are  marriage  festivals  when  the 
happiness  of  a  lifetime  may  be  wrapped  up  in  delay. 
Go  a  little  slower  now,  dear  girl,  perhaps  the  mist 
yo:i  see  through  that  thin  veil  may  be  lifted,  and  float 
v  forever,  if  your  slow  footsteps  move  slower  still. 
It  may  be  that  your  heavy  heart,  heavy  when,  if  ever 
in  life,  it  should  be  light,  and  heavy  from  no  revealed 
<\  may  be  relieved  of  its  burden,  if  you  should 
stop  and  rest  even  for  a  moment;  moments  now  are 
more  precious' than  jewels.  You  are  in  the  hands  of 
Divinity.  His  holy  angels  should  direct  you  wisely. 
That  faltering  step,  that  surfeit  of  low  spirits,  that 
depressed  condition  of  body  and  soul  are  God's  sig- 
nals telling  you  that  he  has  not  forsaken  the  innocent 
and  pure.  Yonder  the  bridegroom  cometh.  Take 
his  outstretched  hand.  There  may  be  strength  there 
for  both.  The  holy  man  of  God  breaks  the  silence: 

'•  Dearly  beloved,  \ve  arc  gathered  together  here  in 
the  sight  of  God,  and  in  the  face  of  this  company, 
to  join  together  this  man  and  this  woman  in  holy 
matrimony." 

"A  littl<>  too  rapid,  reverend  sir,  is  your  utterance 
of  these  solemn  words."  It  seemed  as  though  a  mes- 
senger, invisible,  whispered  those  words  in  the  aged 
preacher's  ears.  For  he  continued  more  slowly  and 
more  solemnly  with  the  beautiful  service: 

"Into  this  holy  estate  these  two  persons  present 
come  now  to  be  joined.  If  any  man  can  show  just 
cause  why  they  may  not  lawfully  be  joined  together, 
let  him  now  speak  or  else  hereafter  forever  hold  his 
peace." 


270  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

With  this  last  word  came  a  rumbling  sound  from 
a  distance,  and  so  strange  was  it  and  so  sudden  did 
it  break  upon  the  ears  of  the  multitude,  that  all  were 
disturbed  for  a  moment,  and  all  became  earnestly 
interested  in  knowing  the  cause.  The  minister's 
hand  trembled  and  his  book  came  near  falling  to  the 
ground.  What  was  it?  The  sound  came  nearer  and 
nearer.  It  was  evidently  the  clatter  of  horses'  hools 
on  the  hard  prairie  road,  caused  by  some  tardy  farmer 
hastening  to  the  wedding  feast.  The  holy  man  con- 
tinued : 

"I  require  and  charge  you  both,  as  ye  will  answer 
at  the  dreadful  day  of  judgment  when  the  secrets  of 
all  hearts  shall  be  disclosed,  that  if  either  of  ye  know 
of  any  impediment  why  ye  may  not  be  lawfully 
joined  together  in  matrimony,  ye  do  now  confess  it." 

These  words  caused  the  expected  bridegroom  to 
rock  to  and  fro  like  a  reed  in  the  gale.  His  face 
turned  white  as  the  bridal  veil  that  almost  touched 
his  pallid  cheeks.  Only  nerves  of  iron  kept  him  on 
his  feet.  The  clattering  hoofs  on  one  side,  the  mean- 
ing of  which  he  could  not  fail  to  understand,  and 
the  solemn  warning  of  the  preacher  on  the  other, 
filled  his  soul  with  the  utmost  terror. 

"  Henry,  wilt  thou  have  this  woman  to  be  thy 
wedded  wife,  to  live  together  after  God's  ordinance 
in  the  holy  estate  of  matrimony?  Wilt  thou  love  her, 
comfort  her,  honor  and  keep  her  in  sickness  and  in 
health;  and,  forsaking  all  others,  keep  —  "  and 
then  the  subdued  confusion  became  intensely  oppress- 
ive. The  people  were  on  their  feet,  and  every  eye 
was  turned  in  the  direction  of  the  rapidly  nearing 


THE   RACE   AND  THE   RESCUE.  271 

horse  and  rider.  The  noble  animal  w*,.  ou  the 
swiftest  gallop,  the  rider  was  waving  his  <*rms  in 
the  air  and  urging  the  horse  to  increased  speed.  The 
preacher  raised  his  eyes  from  the  book — stopped  read- 
ing— looked  perplexed  and  annoyed  at  the  apparent 
discourteous  interruption,  and  was  about  to  proceed 
with  the  ceremony,  when  the  tumult  became  so 
uproarious  and  the  excitement  so  intense,  bordering 
on  an  uncontrollable  panic,  that  he  closed  the  book 
and  gave  his  support  to  the  bride,  just  in  time  to  pre- 
vent her  falling. 

There  was  no  time  to  ask  questions  or  answer 
them.  That  rider  on  that  steed,  and  those  out- 
stretched arms — what  could  it  all  mean?  There  was 
even  no  time  to  think  what  it  meant.  The  clat- 
tering hoofs  on  the  hard  ground  sounded  to  the 
astonished  ears  of  the  assemblage  as  though  a  caval- 
cade of  untamed  steeds  were  racing  for  life.  The 
rider  caught  sight  of  the  stars  and  stripes  floating  in 
the  breeze,  and  now  his  voice  could  be  heard — was  he 
cheering  the  flag,  or  was  he  mad?  The  excited  spec- 
tators instinctively  divided  and  made  a  passage  for 
horse  and  stranger.  The  rider  draws  tight  the  reins; 
the  faithful  animal,  white  with  foam,  stops  at  the 
bidding.  The  horseman  leaps  from  the  saddle,  rushes 
through  the  bank  of  flowers,  hurries  along  the  path 
where  a  few  moments  before  the  prospective  bride 
had  walked,  and,  loudly  exclaiming,  "I  forbid  the 
bans,  I  am  Henry  Winters,  that  man  is  an  impostor!  " 
reached  the  improvised  altar  just  in  time  to  receive 
in  his  arms  the  fainting  form  of  Mury  Ilolbrook. 

The  confusion  now  was  more  intense  than  ever. 


272  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

A  few  persons  nearest  the  altar  had  heard  the  words  of 
the  stranger,  and  quickly  comprehending  the  mean- 
ing, explanations  were  made  for  all  to  hear,  and  what 
bade  fair  to  be  a  serious  panic,  gave  way  to  the 
most  unbounded  enthusiasm.  The  crowd  gave  cheer 
after  cheer,  hats  were  thrown  in  the  air,  handker- 
chiefs waved,  and  amid  these  demonstrations  of 
rejoicing,  Mary  Holbrook,  restored  to  consciousness, 
was  assisted  into  the  house,  and  Charles  Manning, 
taking  advantage  of  the  noisy  evidence  of  his  rival's 
popularity,  walked  out  of  the  crowd,  hastened  to  the 
stable  near  by,  saddled  and  bridled  a  horse,  mounted 
him  and  rode  swiftly  in  the  direction  of  the  setting 
sun.  Reaching  a  neighboring  town,  he  disposed  of  his 
horse  and  a  few  personal  effects,  and,  joined  by  the 
woman  in  black,  the  two,  mother  and  son,  sought  to 
hide  themselves  in  the  wilds  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 
They  subsequently  laid  claim,  through  an  attorney, 
to  the  money  found  on  Groundwig's  person,  but  as  it 
was  proven  to  be  the  proceeds  of  the  fraudulent  sale 
of  the  Winters'  homestead,  the  money  was  ordered 
restored  to  the  purchaser. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

A  RETROSPECT — A  MARRIAGE — THE  WHITE  LIGHT. 

"  If  we  only  knew  how  to  live  as  well  as  we  know 
how  to  love,  we  would  live  and  love  forever,  do  you 
not  think  so,  Henry?"  was  Mary  Holbrook's  inquiry 
of  her  lover,  a  few  weeks  after  the  scenes  occurred 
which  are  recorded  in  the  previous  chapter.  There 
was  no  verbal  answer.  None  was  needed  or  expected. 
Perfect  bliss  once  more  took  possession  of  their 
hearts,  and  not  even  a  flickering  spark  that  could  be 
fanned  into  a  doubt  came  to  disturb  their  happiness. 

Weeks  passed  in  telling  the  story  of  each  other's 
lives,  during  the  separation.  Both  were  eloquent 
listeners  and  both  were  eloquent  talkers,  and  both 
had  volumes  to  tell  and  volumes  to  listen  to. 

Henry,  upon  visiting  his  mother's  grave,  found  that 
loving  hands  had  kept  the  mound  green  and  the  sum- 
mer flowers  in  bloom.  With  his  head  bowed  upon  the 
little  white  monument,  Henry  stood  there  alone, 
except  as  the  spirit  of  a  sainted  mother  may  impress 
its  presence  on  a  loving  son — and  wept.  Memory 
was  busy.  The  past  came  plodding  slowly  along, 
loaded  with  a  mother's  prayers  and  tears,  with  a 
mother's  hopes  and  fears,  but  revealing  neither  sii.ni 
of  distrust  nor  a  whisper  of  losing  faith  in  God,  n<-r 
want  of  confidence  in  the  honor  and  integrity  of  her 
son.  No  rebuke,  no  <••  <>  blame,  but  a  pure 

and  holy  trust  in  heaven's  justness  and  mercy  hal- 
18  278 


274:  THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

lowed  the  noble  woman's  memory.  Henry  felt  that 
in  no  act  of  his  was  laid  the  seeds  of  remorse,  nor 
cause  for  a  single  wound  to  have  ever  made  his 
mother's  heart  bleed,  nor  a  single  pang  of  ingrati- 
tude to  have  made  her  shed  a  tear. 

The  son  read  and  re-read  the  thrilling  narrative 
his  mother  had  written,  and  he  saw  that  where  there 
might  have  been  a  spot  or  a  blemish  on  her  character, 
her  story  had  removed  every  stain  and  destroyed' 
every  taint.  Her  life  had  been  pure  and  noble  and: 
brave.  A  monster — in  law  the  husband  and  the^ 
father — seeking  a  revenge  he  had  no  cause  to  seek,, 
had  followed  her  through  all  her  life  of  womanhood: 
to  her  death-bed,  and  even  there  had  planned  for  his: 
vengeance  to  follow  her  into  the  very  presence  of  her- 
Maker.  Justice,  with  its  avenging  arm,  came  quickly 
and  thwarted  the  miscreant's  plans,  exposed  all  his; 
infamies,  and  gave  him  a  few  clods  of  clay  t^ cover- 
his  crimes  and  keep  them  from  smelling  to* heaven.. 
The  other — the  treacherous  imposter  aiad  cunning; 
knave — went,  none  knew  or  cared  whither;  perhaps, , 
in  some  mountain  gulch  he  may  bs  cursing  his  con-  • 
science  for  leading  him  to  barter  his  soul  for  a' 
life  of  infamy.  He  learned  too  late  that  conscience* 
is  one's  own  self,  and  caa  neither  be  created  with 
good  nor  charged  with  evil,  except  as  that  good  or 
evil  comes  from  the  .heart. 

Henry  pondered  with  the  deepest  interest  over  the 
picture  portrayed  so  vividly  by  his  dying  mother.  He 
did  not  believe  it  overdrawn,  or  the  colors  unnatural. 
Call  it  revelation.  Call  it  supernatural.  It  was  no 
dream.  It  was  not  entirely  the  offspring  of  the 


A   RETROSPECT — A    MARRIAGE.  275 

imagination.  It  was  no  delusion.  It  \vas  an  impres- 
sion forced  on  Mrs.  Winters'  mind,  when  virtually  in 
the  presence  of  her  Creator,  that  all  she  pictured  was 
in  store  for  the  farmers  and  laboring  men  whenever 
they  should  unite  in  favor  of  tariff  reform. 

One  evening  after  things  had  become  somewhat, 
settled  on  the  Winters'  farm,  three  or  four  neighbors 
.called  to  discuss  with  Mr.  Winters  a  few  points  con- 
nected with  the  operation  of  the  tariff. 

"Do  you  think,"  remarked  Mr.  Scott,  "that  the 
cause  of  the  abandonment  of  so  many  farms;  in  the 
Eastern  and  Middle  Stales  is  due  to  the  tariff?" 

"  Xo  doubt  of  it,  to  a  certain  extent,  directly  or 
indirectly,"  replied  Mr.  Winters.  "  But  what  an 
unanswerable  argument  are  those  desolate  fields,  and 
ancestral  buildings  going  to  decay,  to  the  claim  that 
protection  insures  a  home  market  for  home  produce! 
The  greatest  desolation  is  almost  within  shouting 
distance  of  the  greatest  manufacturing  centers.  The 
smoke  from  many  a  tall  factory  chimney  casts  tor- 
tuous shadows  on  farms  and  houses  gone  to  waste, 
not  because  the  soil  was  exhausted  or  the  State  depop- 
ulated, but  because  the  farmers  could  not  grow  food 
in  competition  with  the  cheap  labor  of  Europe  and 
'>mit  to  the  price  of  that  food  being 
fixed  in  Liverpool,  and  at  the  same  time  be  com- 
pelled to  buy  the  necessaries  of  life  at  home  at  the 
high  price  fixed  by  protection. 

"  The  desolation  and  decay  so  rapidly  increasing 
in  the  funning  regions  of  the  East,  stands,  in  a  meas- 
ure, as  the  handiwork  of  protection.  Like  causes 
produce  like  effects.  If  the  farmers  of  the  West  per- 


276  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

mit  their  fears  to  be  quieted  b^the  promise  that  dot- 
ting the  prairies  with  factories,  and  bringing  a  home 
market  to  the  door  of  the  producer,  will  increase  the 
price  of  farm  produce,  or  increase  its  purchasing 
power,  they  can  not  shut  their  eyes  to  the  fact  that, 
under  the  same  condition  of  things,  there  is  now 
going  on  in  one  portion  of  this  country  a  general 
abandonment  of  cultivated  farms  and  a  general  decay 
of  farm  buildings/' 

"  Still,  I  do  not  know/'  remarked  Farmer  Lake, 
"  except  in  the  extent  of  the  waste,  that  the  aban- 
donment of  Eastern  farms  is  any  worse  than  burn- 
ing corn  in  the  West — having  reference  to  the  fact 
that  when  corn  is  used  for  fuel,  the  farmer  must  sell 
it  at  less  than  the  cost  of  production." 

"  The  result  in  time,"  replied  Mr.  Scott,  "  will  be 
the  same,  unless  a  remedy  is  found,  not  because  corn 
is  being  used  for  fuel,  but  because  corn,  which  ranks 
second  in  value  of  any  crop  grown,  has  no  adequate 
market." 

"  The  only  remedy,  then,  is  to  find  a  market,  is  it 
not?"  asked  Mr.  Winters.  "There  is  but  one  other 
remedy  suggested,  and  that  is  for  the  farmers  to 
agree  to  raise  less  corn  and  less  pork,  and  that  remedy 
every  farmer  will  plainly  see  is  impracticable.  It  is 
the  remedy  offered  in  the  interest  of  protection,  and 
is  a  delusion  and  a  snare." 

"But  where  and  how  will  you  find  a  market?' 

"  I  will  tell  you  what  I  think  about  it,"  replied 
Mr.  Winters.  "  In  the  first  place,  I  don't  believe 
that  over-production  is  the  cause  of  the  low  price 
of  corn.  Corn  is  the  cheapest  and  healthiest  food 


A   RETROSPECT — A   MARRIAGE.  277 

the  soil  produces.  Its  value  as  an  article  of  food 
is  comparatively  unknown  outside  of  America. 
Were  the  restrictions  put  on  trade  by  the  tariff 
removed,  corn  and  corn  meal  would  be  shipped  wher- 
ever people  could  be  found  who  eat  wholesome  food, 
and  who  are  civilized  enough  to  offer  something  they 
make  or  grow  or  find  in  the  ground  or  the  sea  in 
exchange  for  food. 

"When  the  manufacturer  leans  on  his  own 
resources,  as  he  will  in  $  great  measure  when  the 
protective  features  of  the  tariff  are  withdrawn,  and 
no  longer  becomes  the  object  of  government  charity, 
he  will  grow  rich  by  selling  his  wares  in  all  the  mar- 
kets of  the  world,  and  the  ship  that  carries  his 
goods  will  make  up  a  part  of  its  cargo  with  Ameri- 
can corn. 

"For  the  farmers  to  admit  as  correct  the  theory  of 
the  agricultural  department  at  Washington,  that  the 
low  price  of  corn  is  due  to  overproduction,  and  to 
act  on  (hat  theory,  and  undertake  to  restrict  the 
bushels  to  be  raised  each  year  to  a  certain  fixed  num- 
ber, would  only  add  to  the  depression  everywhere 
prevailing  in  the  farm  industry,  and  result  disas- 
trously to  every  interest  depending  largely  on  the 
food  supply. 

"The  growth  of  wheat  in  this  country  has  quite 
reached  the  limit.  The  world's  increase  will  be  largely 
!a,  where  labor  is  cheaper  than  in  any  other  por- 
tion of  the  globe.  But  corn  on  this  continent  has  no 
limit  in  sight.  Nor  has  America  any  serious  com- 
petitor in  growing  corn.  Put  corn,  and  the  meat 
corn  produces,  within  reach  of  the  people  who  want 


278       THE  MORTGAGE  FORECLOSED. 

such  food  and  are  able  to  buy  it,  and  the  ca- 
pacity of  this  country  to  supply  the  demand  will  be 
tested  to  the  uttermost,  and  the  nation  that  furnishes 
the  product  will  have  much  to  say  about  fixing  the 
price.  Iso  farmer  should  be  discouraged  at  corn 
being  used  for  fuel  as  long  as  the  odious  tariff  system 
prevents  his  exchanging  that  corn  throughout  the  world 
for  such  commodities  of  use  and  value  as  the  world  may 
have  to  give  in  exchange  for  it.  Modify  that  system 
to  the  extent  it  stands  for  protection,  and  the  deca- 
dence in  growing  corn,  now  threatened,  will  cease, 
and  the  one  grain  crop  which  America  can  control 
will  again  become  king.  The  fittest  will  survive.  If 
the  fittest  be  the  high  tariff,  the  high  tariff  will  live. 
If  it  be  corn,  the  corn  will  continue  to  be  the  great 
crop  of  the  West.  Whichever  it  shall  be  it  is  for  the 
farmers  and  wage-earners  to  determine." 

"Sound  to  the  very  core/'  remarked  Farmer  Lake, 
"  and  I  am  satisfied  the  farmers  are  aroused  to 
the  necessity  of  pulling  together  and  testing  the 
remedy  offered  by  tariff  reform,  for  the  decline  of 
agriculture.  Only  last  evening  the  president  of  our 
alliance  announced  himself  a  tariff  reformer.  He 
was  cheered  to  the  echo.  He  has  all  along  been  a 
protectionist,  and  the  applause  indicated  that  the 
alliance  was  composed  almost  entirely  of  tariff 
reformers,  although  the  political  parties  are  about 
equally  represented.  Our  president  in  announcing 
his  conversion  said  he  had  been  studying  the  condi- 
tions which  made  it  possible  for  these  vast  trusts, 
syndicates,  combinations  and  monopolies  to  increase 
60  rapidly  and  succeed  so  prosperously,  and  he  found 


A   RETROSPECT — A    MARRIAGE.  279 

that  almost  invariably  the  combination  was  formed 
on  some  business  or  industry  that  was  highly  pro- 
tected, and  the  first  thing  it  did  after  dividing  its 
watered  stock  among  its  members,  was  to  raise  the 
price  of  the  goods  dealt  in  by  the  trust,  and  as  the 
farmers  and  laborers  are  the  largest  consumers  of 
necessaries,  they  have  to  stand  the  larger  share  of  the 
raise.  The  tariff  answers  the  purpose  of  capital, 
thus  making  the  government  a  partner  in  all  these 
trusts,  and  a  party  to  robbing  its  own  people. 

"  During  the  evening  a  resolution  was  introduced, 
suggesting  that  the  alliance  and  farmers'  clubs  join 
in  a  fight  on  the  twine  combination,  and  the  presi- 
dent moved  there  be  added  the  three  thousand  other 
articles  on  which  there  was  a  tax,  and  make  the  fight 
on  all  of  them,  and  not  select  twine  as  the  special 
object  of  our  warfare,  just  because  we  were  able  to  see 
that  the  high  price  of  twine,  made  possible  only  be- 
cause the  tariff  prevented  the  manufacturer  from 
procuring  cheap  raw  material  from  abroad,  increased 
the  cost  of  harvesting  grain.  There  are  hundreds  of 
articles,  he  said,  that  much  more  need  looking  after 
by  the  farmers,  and  much  more  affect  the  cost  of 
harvesting,  than  binding  twine.  Strike  at  all  of 
them,  and  spare  none  " 


Once  again  the  Holbrook  mansion  is  the  scene  of 
preparations  for  a  wed  dine:.  The  change  is  marked 
and  pleasing.  To-day  Mary  Holbrook  is  her  real, 
lovely  self  again.  No  tears,  no  sad  thoughts,  no 
despondency,  but  all  is  the  cheerfulness  which  so  well 


280  THE   MORTGAGE   FORECLOSED. 

becomes  the  maiden  on  her  bridal  day.  The  same 
maids  attend  her.  They  are  full  of  animation  and 
glee.  No  muffled  tread  about  the  house.  All  are  as 
merry  as  light  hearts  can  make  merriment. 

On  the  lawn  the  former  order  of  things  is  being 
restored.  Flowers,  garlands,  festoons  and  wreaths 
are  replaced  so  as  to  give  the  same  appearance  as  on 
that  day  the  fatal  mistake  came  so  nearly  being  made. 
It  is  a  gala  day,  too,  for  the  entire  neighborhood,  far 
and  near.  From  every  direction  the  invited  guests 
are  coming,  laughing,  chatting,  frolicking  and 
even  boisterous  in  their  merriment.  The  large  lawn 
is  being  taxed  to  the  uttermost  to  accommodate  the 
happy  throng.  Captain  Bodfish  has  come  from  his 
Eastern  home  and  is  made  a  hero.  The  part  he 
played  in  the  strange  eventful  scenes  detailed  in  these 
chapters  is  known  to  everybody  on  the  ground,  and 
he  is  showered  with  compliments  and  blessings. 

Just  as  the  bride  and  groom  elect  are  passing  out 
the  door- way,  the  shrill  whistle  of  a  locomotive  breaks 
in  on  the  stillness,  and  soon  the  iron  horse,  gayly 
trimmed  with  flowers  and  smilax  and  golden  rod 
and  an  hundred  flags  floating  in  the  breeze,  appears 
in  sight,  sweeping  along  with  a  mile-a-minute  speed, 
and  comes  to  a  stop  within  a  few  rods  of  the  crowd 
of  enthusiastic  spectators.  Three  men  alight  find 
move  quickly  toward  the  scene  of  the  festivities. 
Though  their  coming  is  a  surprise  to  Henry,  he  at 
once  recognizes  them  as  the  division  superintendent 
and  engineer  and  fireman  who  played  such  an 
important  part  in  foiling  the  scheme  of  the  bold 
imposter.  As  Henry  steps  forward,  meeting  them 


A  RETROSPECT — A  MARRIAGE.        281 

with  a  most  cordial  welcome,  the  assembled  crowd 
comprehend  who  the  new  comers  are,  and  the  welkin 
rings  again  and  again  with  cheer  upon  cheer  for  the 
railroad  visitors,  not  forgetting  a  tiger  for  the  noble 
engine.  In  another  moment  clattering  hoofs  attract 
the  attention  of  the  throng,  and  the  well-known 
form  of  Nervy  Jim,  ridden  by  Farmer  Dickson, 
comes  in  sight,  and  is  halted  in  the  very  midst  of  the 
crowd,  where  he  is  received  with  enthusiastic  delight. 
This  time  the  marriage  ceremony  is  finished,  and 
the  holy  man  of  God  pronounces  Henry  Winters 
and  Mary  Holbrook  man  and  wife. 


The  Winters'  farm  continues  to  be  a  popular  resort 
for  the  farmers  of  the  neighborhood.  They  congre- 
gate there  to  discuss  the  great  question  of  tariff 
reform — the  question  which  they  believe  involves  the 
fate  of  the  farming  industry  of  the  land.  They  realize 
the  fact  that  the  way  out  of  the  depression  which  is  so 
imperiously  invading  their  homes  and  so  surely 
entwining  them  in  its  coils,  is  to  place  tariff  reform 
above  party,  and  keep  it  there  until  all  that  the 
friends  of  the  reform  claim  for  it  becomes  firmly 
established  as  the  American  policy. 

The  party  in  power,  ever  claiming  it  can  nnd 
will  reform  the  tariff,  while  this  chapter  is  being 
written,  meets  the  demands  of  the  farmers  for  lower 
taxes  on  the  things  they  buy,  with  a  bill  for  an  addi- 
tional tariff  on  certain  farm  produce,  but  adds  an 
increased  tax  of  one  hundred  per  cent,  on  woolen 
and  linen  goods,  and  tin  plate.  The  first  part  of 


28/5  THE   MORTGAGE   FOllECLOSED. 

tho  proposition  is  a  gratuitous  insult  to  every  farmer 
in  the  land;  because  not  one  of  them  but  knows  that 
no  amount  of  tariff  on  breadstuffs  and  meat  could 
increase  the  price  a  single  cent,  for  the  reason  that 
foreign  countries  do  not  bring  those  articles  here  and 
offer  them  for  sale.  The  other  branch  of  the  proposi- 
tion actually  doubles  the  price  the  farmers  must  pay 
for  many  of  the  most  common  necessaries  of  life 
And  this  is  called  reforming  the  tariff,  in  the  interest 
of  the  farmer,  by  the  friends  of  tariff  reform  ! 
There  is,  and  there  can  be.  judging  by  what  has  been 
done,  and  what  is  now  proposed  by  the  party  in 
power,  but  one  way  to  bring  about  this  reform,  and 
that  is  to  retire  that  party  and  put  in  their  places 
men  pledged  to  vote  for  tariff  reform. 

The  white  light  Mrs.  Winters  saw  on  her  death-bed, 
the  son  believes,  is  lying  dormant  in  the  ballot-box, 
awaiting  the  time  when  the  farmer  and  the  wage- 
earner  shall  go  forward  in  their  strength  and  deposit 
their  votes  for  men  who  favor  tariff  reform,  to  come 
forth  and  cover  the  land  with  the  grandeur  and  glory 
so  vividly  pictured  by  the  dying  woman. 

The  fate  of  the  farmer  is  in  his  own  hands.  It 
rests  with  him  to  say  whether  his  star  of  destiny 
shall  lead  him  from  the  abandoned  farm  and  desolate 
home,  into  new  and  untried  avocations,  where  cease- 
less toil  awaits  him,  or  whether  it  shall  shine  upon 
an  industry  that  insures  a  profitable  return  on  the 
money  and  toil  invested,  with  the  comforts  and  pleas- 
ures, the  hopes  and  ambitions,  he  and  his  desire,  sure 
of  realization. 


ABBEY    SERIES 


All  complete  and  unabridged  editions.  Printed  from  new, 
perfect  platen,  in  targe  type  on  good  book  paper.  Handsomely  bound 
in  cloth,  embossed  «  ith  design  in  gilt  and  ink  on  front  and  back  of 
cover,  with  side  titles.  RETAIL  .°RICE  25  CEtVTS 

1.  Abbe  Constantin  ......................................  Lndonc  Ilalevy 

2.  Adam  Htxle  ...............................................  George  Eliot 

6.  Adventures  o{  a  Brownie  ............................... 

7.  viisop's  Fables  .................................................. 

8.  All  Aboard  ................................................  Oliver  Optio 

9.  Allan  Qnntermain  .................................  H.  Itider  Haggard 

10.  Alice's  A<  1  .  Wonderland  .....................  Lewis  Carroll 

11.  American  Siberia,  The  ...................................  J.  C.  Powell 

12.  American  Wit  and  Humor  ...................  Peck,  Nyo. 

14.    Anderson's  Fairy  Tales  .....................  Hans  Christian  Andersen 

16.     Angeiine  ................................................  I.  N.  Percival 

20.  Attic  Philosopher  in  Paris,  An  ..................  ivestie 

21.  Aurette  .................................................  Henry  Greville 

24.     Autobiography  of  Benjamin  Franklin  ...........  .  .................... 

of  the  Break  ............  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 

Corner  Cupboard  .........  Mary  and  Elizabeth  Kirby 

29.     Back  10  the  Old  Home  ...........  '.  .................  -il  Hay 

81.     1-!.  •••  ....................................  Sir  Francis  Bacon 

87.     Ba«  of  Diamonds  ...................................  Or.  Mnnvi1 

nditti  of  the  Prairies  ..............................  Kihv;>.rd  Bonney 

40.     Barrack  Koom  Hull  ads  ..............................  Itudyard  Kipling 

....................................  ).  G.  Holland 

;H  Bonnie  Brior  Bush  ..........................  Ian  Mnclaren 

.no  ..............................................  H.  E.  Browa 

............................................  Augusta  ,!. 

47.     Black   iJt.'i'ity  .............................................  Anna  Sewall 

!;  ..............................................  Ita  I  ph  Connor 

b  ................................................  Oliv. 

................................  James  lltisn«ll  Lowell 

............................  Charlotte  M.  Yonge 

..............................................  Bill  Nye 

..........................  Nathaniel  II  uwt  home 

I  ..................................  Washington  Irvintj 

................................  1'hillii.s  Bropkt* 

T>2.     Hi  ............................  .wiling 

......................................... 

........................................ 

........................................ 

'    ...................................  SUHi 

:-a«i,'e  ..............................  Lor.' 

.........................  Charles  : 

-  Carol  .........................  Charles  1 

81.     Chnstii..:!  Livinp  ..........................................  F.  B.  Meyer 

The  ........................................  loir 

•  ....................................  Alexandre.  Dumas 

of  Mil**  Standish,  The  ..............  Henry  W.  Lor.. 

....................................  Mary  Jane  Hoi  meg 

................................... 

i  tho  Hearth  ................................  Charles  I 

irae  of  Philip  Giithrie,  The  ..........................  Lulu  RaRcdald 

....................................  John 

..........................  A  Conac  ttoyle 

nil*  ........................................... 

•ntul  Ditties  ...............................  Rurtyard  Klf.linR 

rg  layer  ...................................  James  Fen  (more  Cooper 

.......  ..........................  Madeline  Vinton  Uahlgren 

104.    Dodo  .....................................................  K.  F.  Beoaon 


106.  Dog  Crusoe  and  His  Master R.  M.  Bahnntyni 

107.  DOR  of  Flanders,  A Ouida 

108.  Dolly  Dialogues Anthony  Hope 

110.  JT>ora  Deane Mary  J.  Holmes 

112.  L ream  Life (Ik  Marvel)  Donald  G.  Mitchell 

114.  jX-ummond's  Addresses Henry  Drummond 

115.  1  >uchess (The  Duchess)  Mrs.  Hungerford 

116.  Elizabeth  and  Her  German  Garden 

118.  Emerson's  Essays Ralph  Waldo  Emerson 

119.  Emerson's  Poems Ealph  Waldo  Emerson 

I'M.  English  Woman's  Love  Letters,  An 

121.  English  Orphans Mary  Jane  Holmes 

122.  Essays  of  Elia Charles  Lamb 

123.  Esther  Waters George  Moore 

125.  Ethics  of  the  Dust John  Euskin 

127.  Evangel ine Henry  \\.  Longfellow 

128.  Evil  Eye,  The Theophila  Gauthier 

131.  Fatal  Love Ramiriz  Arias 

182.  Fairyland  of  Science Arabella  Buckley 

134.  Favorite  Poems Elmo 

185.  Flower  Fables Louisa  M.  Alcott 

137.  Fifteen  Decisive  Battles Sir  Edward  Shepherd  Creasy 

139.  First  Violin Jessie  Fothergili 

140.  Forging  the  Fetters Mrs.  Alexander 

141.  Frankenstein Mary  Shelley 

143.  Garden  of  Verses,  Child's Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

145.  Gold  Dust Charlotte  M.  Yonge 

147.  Grandfather's  Chair Nathaniel  Hawthorne 

148.  Green  Dragon,  At  the Beatrice  Harraden 

161.  Gul liver's  Travels Dean  Swift 

163.  Heir  of  Linne Kobert  Buchanan 

158.  Her  Shattered  Idol.  Belle  V.  Logan 

169.  Heroes  and  Hero  Worship Thomas  Curly le 

161.  Hiawatha Henry  W.  Lonpfellow 

162  Holmes'  Poems Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 

163.  Homestead  on  the  Hillside Mary  .lane  Holmes 

165.  House  of  Seven  Gables Nathaniel  Hawthorne 

167.  House  of  the  Wolf Stanley  J.  Weyman 

169.  How  It  Came  About Maja  Spencer 

171.  Hvpatia Charles  Kingsley 

173.  Ideala Sarah  Grand 

174.  Idle  Thoughts  of  an  Idle  Fellow Jerome  K.  Jerome 

176.  Idylls  of  the  Kinf? Alfred  Tennyson 

177.  Imitation  of  Christ Thomas  a  Kempis 

178.  In  Chase  of  Crime Du  Boisgobey 

179.  In  Memoriam Alfred  Tennyson 

180.  In  the  Rockies W.  II.  G.  Kingston 

181.  Inez Augusta  J.  EVHUS 

182.  Ishmael,  or,  In  the  Depths Mrs.  E.  D.  E.  N.  Southworth 

183.  Ivanhoe Sir  Walter  Scott 

184.  John  Halifax Miss  Mulock 

185.  Kept  for  the  Master's  Use Frances  Ridley  Havergal 

186.  Kidnapped Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

191.  King  of  the  Golden  River John  Ruskiu 

192.  Knickerbocker's  History  of  New  York Washington  Irving 

194.  L'Americane Jules  Claretie 

196.  Laddie  and  Miss  Toosev's  Mission Author  of  Zos 

198.  £,ady  Grace Mrs.  Henry  Wood 

199.  Lady  of  the  Lake Sir  Walter  Scott 

201.  Lalla  Rookh Thomas  Moore 

202.  Lamplighter Maria  S.  Cummins 

203.  Last  Days  of  Pompeii C.  Bulwer-Lytton 

204.  Last  of  the  Mohicans J.  Fenimore  Cooper 

205.  La  Veuve , Octave  Feuil  let 

207.  JLet  Us  Follow  Him Henry  Sienkiewicz 

208.  Lena  Rivers Mary  Jane  Holmes 

209.  Light  of  Asia Edwin  Arnold 


210.    Light  That  Failed Kudyard  Kipling 

212.     Little  Queen  of  Tragedy,  A Laura  B.  Marsh 

214.     Lime  Kiln  Club M.  Quad 

216      Little  Lame  Prince Miss  Mulock 

216.    Locksley  Hall  and  Other  Poems Alfred  Tennyson 

219.    Longfellow's  Poems Henry  W.  Longfellow 

223.  Lorna  Doone R.  D.  Blnckmore 

224.  Love  and  Tears Areeme  Honsaaye 

225.  Loyalty  of  Lanpstreth,   The John  B.  V.  Gilliat 

226.  Love  Letters  of  a  Worldly  Woaan Mrs.  W.  K.  Clifford 

227.  Lucy's  Wonderful  Globe Charlotte  M.  Yonge 

229.    Lowell's  Poems James  Russell  Lowell 

231.    Luclle Owen  Meredith 

234.    Madame  Sans-Gene Victorien  Sardou 

286.    Maggie  Mi  1  ler Mary  Jane  Holmes 

236.  Marble  Fuun Nathaniel  Hawthorne 

237.  Maid.  Wife  or  Widow Mrs.  Alexander 

239.     Makers  of  Venice Mrs.  Oliphant 

241.    Man  from  Wall  Street St.  George  Rathbon* 

243.  Man  in  Black Stanley  J.  Weyman 

244.  Marmion Sir  Walter  Scott 

245.  Micah  Clarke A.  Conan  Doyle 

248.  Meadowbrook Mary  Jane  Holmes 

249.  Miss  Milne  and  I Iota 

250.  Modern  Quixote,  A 8.  0.  McCay 

251.  Moes-Side Marion  Harland 

252.  Mosses  from  an  Old  Manse Nathaniel  Hawthorne 

253.  Mortgage  Foreclosed,  Tho E.  H.  Thayer 

254.  Mother's  Cook  Book Harland 

256.    Macaria Aujrusta  J.  Evans 

256.  Minister's  Wooing Harriet  Beecher  Stows 

257.  Mrc  Caudle's  Curtain  Lectures. Douglas  Jerrold 

Lady's  Money Wilkie  Oollina 

259.     Mysterious  Juror Du  Boisgobey 

261.     Nameless  Love Charles  Loruon 

tural  Law  in  the  Spiritual  World Henry  Drummond 

265.  Not  Like  Other  Girls Rosa  N.  Carey 

266.  Now  or  Never Oliver  Optio 

inroon,  The Miss  M.  E.  Braddon 

James  Steel 

' .  The Theo.  Baughman 

::-8 Darwin 

HVJ.     l';ist  and  Present Thomas  Carlyle 

273.     Paradise  Lost John  Milton 

276.     Pathfinder J.  Fenimore  Cooper 

279.     Paul  and  Vli  -inia Saint  Pierre 

r,«orge  W.  Peck 

rfumeof  the  Violet,  The Frank  H.  Howe 

283.  Peter  Simple Cnj>t.  Marryat 

284.  Pilgrim's  Progress John  Bunyan 

286.    Pioneers J.  Fenimore  Cooper 

286.  Plain  Tales  from  the  Hills Uii.lyard  Kipling 

287.  Pli'Mun-s  of  Life Sir  John  Lubbock 

288.  Poe's  Poems K.lgnr  Allan  Poe 

2H9.    PO.-'H   TiiU- Edgar  Allan  Poe 

290.  Pi,.  

291.  Prisoners  nnd  '  Hour) -Si-fun  Merriman 

292.  Pride  an-1  Jane  Austen 

293.  Prim  a  Donna  i.-  •  I  he .IcKnnna 

294.  Prince  c.i  i Rev.  J.  H.  Ingraham 

295.  pr i  Alfred  Tennyson 

296      Poor  and  :  .  .Oliver  Optio 

ifessor  at  the  Breakfast  Table Oliver  Wendell  Holme* 

.irit».  The J.  Fenimore  Cooper 

George.  William  OurtU 

the  Air ..John  Ruskin 

L>  and  liis  Frii-ud* L»r.  John  Browa 


805.  Representative  Men. .Ralph  Waldo  Emerson 

807.  Revenge  of  Circe Alexina  Lorqugen 

80a  Eeveries  of  a  Bachelor (Ik  Marvel)  Donald  G.  Mitchell 

809.  Robinson  Crusoe Daniel  Defoe 

812.  Rifle  Rangers Capt.  Mayne  Reid 

818.  Rubaiyat  of  Omar  Khayyam Edward  Fitzgerald 

814.  Rosamond Mary  J.  Holmes 

815.  Royal  Robber,  A Herbert  Rau 

822.  Scalp  Hunters Capt.  Mayne  Reid 

826.  Sis  to  Sixteen Mrs.  Juliana  II.  Ewing 

327.  Samantha  at  Saratoga Joeiah  Allen's  Wife 

328.  Sartor  Resartus Thomas  Carlyle 

829.  Scarlet  Letter,  The Nathaniel  Hawthorne 

830.  Self  Raised,  or,  From  the  Depths Mrs.  E.  D.  E.  N.  Southworth 

831.  Seneca's  Morals Sir  Roger  L' Estrange 

832.  Sesame  and  Lilies John  Ruskin 

333.  Shadow  of  a  Sin Bertha  M.  Clay 

834.  She's  All  the  World  to  Me Hall  Caine 

335.  Ships  That  Pass  in  the  Night Beatrice  Harraden 

836.  Sign  of  the  Four A.  Conan  Doyle 

887.  8  ingle  Heart  and  Double  Face Charles  Reade 

338.  Singularly  Deluded Sarah  Grand 

389.  Six  Gray  Powders,  The Mrs.  Henry  Wood 

840.  Sketch  Book.  The Washington  Irving 

841.  Snow  Image,  The Nathaniel  Huwthorne 

842.  Squire's  Darling Bertha  M.  Clay 

843.  Stickit  Minister,  The S.  R.  Crockett 

344  .  Stories  from  the  French Guy  de  Maupassant  and  others 

845.  Story  of  an  African  Farm (Ralph  Iron)  Olive  Schreiner 

846.  Strange  Case  of  Henry  Toplass John  W.  Postgate 

847.  Stronger  than  Death Emile  Richabonrg 

848.  Study  in  Scarlet A.  Conan  Doyle 

849.  Swiss  Family  Robinson J.  D.  and  J.  R.  Wyss 

350.  Tales  from  Shakespeare Charles  and  Mary  Lamb 

851.  Tales  from  the  Odyssey Walter  C.  Perry 

352.  Tales  from  Tennyson G.  O.  Allen 

853.  Tanglewood  Tales Nathaniel  Hawthorne 

854.  Three  Men  in  a  Boat Jerome  K.  Jerome 

355.  Thelma Mario  CorelH 

356.  Through  the  Looking  Glass Lewis  Carroll 

357.  Tom  Brown  at  Oxford Thomas  Hughes 

858.  Tom  Brown's  School  Days Thomas  Hughes 

359.  Treasure  Island Robert  Louis  Stevenson 

360.  True  and  Beautiful John  Rustkin 

861.  Try  Again Oliver  Optic 

862.  Tempest  and  Sunshine Mary  Jnne  Holmes 

864.  Twice  Told  Tales Nathaniel  Hawthorne 

365.  Under  the  Maples Walter  N.  Ilinmau 

866.  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin Harriet  Beecher  Stowe 

367.  Vnshti  and  Esther Author  of  Belle's  Letters 

368.  Vicar  of  Wakefield Oliver  Goldsmith 

3G9.  Voyage  of  the  Sunbeam Lady  Brassey 

870.  Water  Babies Charles  Kingsley 

371.  Wedded  and  Parted Bertha  M.  Clay 

372.  What  Will  the  World  Say? Mary  Jane  Holmes 

878.  What  Would  You  Do,  Love? Mary  Jane  Holmes 

874.  Whittier's  Poems John  Greenleaf  Whittier 

875.  White  Company,  The A.  Conan  Doyle 

876.  Wicked  Girl,  A Mary  Cecil  Hay 

877.  Wide,  Wide  World Susan  Warner 

878.  Williams  Brothers Adrian  Percy 

879.  Window  in  Thrums J.  M.  Barrie 

880.  »  Wit,  Hurnor  and  Pathos Eli  Perkins 

881.  Wonder  Book,  The Nathaniel  Hawthorn* 

382.  Yellow  Aster,  The Iota 

888.  Youngest  Soldier  of  the  Grand  Army Dn  Boisgobey 

891,  Zoe Author  of  Laddie 


COMPLETE  LIST  Of  THE 
POETIC  AND  PROSE  WORKS 

...  OF  ... 

ELLA  WHEELER  WILCOX 


POEMS  OF  POWER. 

PRESENTATION  EDITION— 12mo,  cloth $1.00 

NEW  GIFT  EDITION— white  veilum.  gold  top 1  50 

POEMS  OF  PASSION. 

PRESENTATION  EDITION— 12mo,  cloth $1.00 

NEW  GIFT  EDITION— white  vellum,  gold  tor 

ILLUSTRATED  EDITION— gilt  top,  12mo,  cloth 

ILLUSTRATED  EDITION— gilt  top,  12mo,  white  vellum, 
"Only  a  woman  of  genius  could  produce  such  a  remark- 
able work." — Illustrated  L.ondon  i\ 

POEMS  OF  PLEASURE. 

PRESENTATION  EDITION— 12mo.  cloth $1.00 

.  GIFT  EDITION— white  vellum,  gold  top 1.00 

These  poems  make  life  dotfbly  sweet  and  cheerful. 
"Mrs.  Wilcox  is  an  artist  with  a  touch  that  reminds  one  of 
Lord  Byron's  impassionate  strains."— /'arts  Res. 

MAURINE. 

PRESENTATION  EDITION— 12mo.  cloth $1.00 

GIFT  EDITION— white  vellum,  gold  top 1.5O 

NEW  ILLUSTRATED  EDITI  i  loth 

NEW  ILLUSTRATED  EDITI  .  2.00 

Beautiful  thoughts  and  healthy  inspiration  in  every  . 
"Maurine  is  an  ideal  poem  about  a  perfect  woman."—  The 
South. 

KINGDOM  OF  LOVE  AND  OTHER  POEMS. 

PRESENTATION  EDITION  -I2mo,  cloth • 

•    NEW  GIFT  EDITION— white  vellum,  s  1.5O 

A  choice  collection  of  recitations,  specially  compiled  for 
readers  and  impersonators. 

"Her  name  is  a  household  word.    II  '.i-s  in 

depicting  human  emotions:  and  i 

all  passions— love,  she  wields  tin.  .  .  !it  SV*- 

uraay  Record. 


WORKS  Of  ELLA  WHEELER  WILCOX— Continued. 


THREE  WOMEN. 

PRESENTATION"  EDITION— 12mo,  cloth $1.00 

NEW  GIFT  EDITION— white  vellum,  gold  top 1.50 

Her  latest  and  greatest  poem.  This  marvelous  narrative  of 
thrilling  interest  depicts  the  lives  of  three  good  and  beautiful 
women  in  every  phase  of  weakness,  passion,  pride,  It/t-e,  sympathy, 
and  tenderness. 

AN  ERRING  WOMAN'S  LOVE. 

PRESENTATION  EDITION— 12mo,  cloth 81.00 

NEW  GIFT  EDITION— white  vellum 1.50 

"Power  and  pathos  characterize  this  magnificent  poem. 

A   deep  understanding  of  life  and  an  intense  sympathy  are 

beautifully  expressed."—  Tribune. 

EVERY-DAY  THOUGHTS  IN  PROSE  AND  VERSE. 

Her  largest,  latest  and  greatest  work. 

PRESENTATION  EDITION— 12mo,  cloth,  gold  top $1.50 

NEW  GIFT  EDITION— white  vellum,  gold  top 2.00 

MEN,  WOMEN  AND  EMOTIONS. 

(Prose.)    12mo,  heavy  enameled  paper  cover $0.50 

English  cloth  1.00 

A  skillful  analysis  of  social  habits,  customs,  and  follies. 
"Her  fame  has  reached  all  parts  of  the  world,   and  her 
popularity  seems  to  grow  with  each  succeeding  year."— Amer- 
ican Newsman. 

AN  AMBITIOUS  MAN. 

(Prose.)    Silk    cloth,   12mo $1.00 

"Vivid  realism  stands  forth  from  every  page  of  this  fas- 
cinating book."— Every  Da, 

THE  BEAUTIFUL  LAND  OF  NOD. 

(Poems,  songs,  and  stories.)    With  over  sixty  original 

illustrations.    Silk  cloth $1.00 

The  delight  of  the  nursery.    A  charming  mother's  book. 
"The  foremost  baby's  book  of  the  world."— *\'ew  Orleans 
Picayune, 

PRESENTATION  SETS. 

Poems  of  Passion.  Maurine,  Poems  of  Pleasure.  King- 
dom of  Love,  and  Poems  of  Power  are  supplied  in 
sets  of  8,  4,  or  5  titles,  in  cloth,  or  white  vellum  bind- 
ings, as  may  be  desired,  in  neat  boxes,  without  extra 
charge. 

ELLA  WHEELER  WILCOX  is  pre-eminently  America's  leading 
emotional  poet  and  writer  on  every-day  topics. 


FOR  SALE  BY  ALL  BOOKSELLERS 


A    000  1 27  998    3 


